Claps of Thunder
by hanako-kun
Summary: Things were never simple between them. Pre-massacre.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only paint cutesy animal masks for the ANBU to use.

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**chapter 1 **| sneezes in the oven

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"One, two, three! One, two, three!"

Katsuya turned swiftly, making sure her silken kimono swished with the movement. She then kept to the beat her mother played, demurely fluttering the fan she held with one hand and making slow, graceful arcs with the other. Her face, however, struggled to give the picture of playful curiosity the dance required and within a minute, her mother promptly told her to stop.

The seven year old snapped her fan shut and lowered her hands, turning to face her mother.

Hideie observed her with pursed lips. "You're giving the wrong impression with that ugly frown on your face." The older woman's stern expression then easily slid to one with an inquisitive look in her eyes, tilting her head and only _slightly _puckering her lips. "This dance is meant to imitate the magpie, Katsuya. A curious bird. Do you see?" When Katsuya nodded, she resumed her frosty countenance once again. "Do you understand now?"

The girl gave an obedient nod. A dance was only half done without the impression it was meant to give to those watching—not only were footwork and handwork important, but so were facial expressions. Hideie had taught her that lesson so long ago that Katsuya couldn't remember how old she was then. She mentally scolded herself for forgetting.

"Now do it again."

Katsuya made her way to the center of the room with small but swift steps. She turned so her back faced her mother and positioned her hands: her left hand, holding the closed fan, placed right over her right hand. She tilted her head down. She calmly waited for her mother's counting to begin.

"One, two, three."

With a quiet _snap_, her fan opened. She brought it to her now raised face, covering half of it and swept her other arm in an arc, the long sleeves of her kimono following the movement. She turned halfway so she faced Hideie sideways, bending her knees. Like her mother said she should, she tilted her head and minutely furrowed her brows—the end result was an expression just like a bird observing something, trying to figure out what exactly it stared at.

Katsuya didn't know that after the split second and she turned once again to face the wall, Hideie nodded to herself. The rest of the dance continued in similar fashion, the little girl executing the dance moves perfectly.

It was, after all, the end result of years of dance training since Hideie had weaned her from her breast. The retired geisha required no less from her daughter if she wanted Katsuya to be a geisha as well.

An hour passed and it was well into noon when Hideie called for a two hour break—lunch break, as Katsuya had come to understand it. The older woman collected the fan from her daughter and nodded brusquely before disappearing out the sliding doors, saying that she was going out.

Katsuya said nothing when she was finally alone in the room. Hideie never talked to her about anything else other than her training—Katsuya knew she should learn to expect nothing more these days.

The girl turned and moved to the dining room. It had wooden floorboards, unlike the room where she practiced in which was decked out in tatami mats. Unsurprisingly, she met her father in the kitchen adjoining the room.

Toru was busy with something on the countertop, apron already in place and a sky blue yukata underneath. He looked the every part of a cooking deity with the way he effortlessly sliced a tuna fish.

She sat down on the cushion near the low table. Toru hummed tunelessly.

"How was training today?" He asked with his back to her, meticulously slicing the fish he had in hand.

Katsuya answered with a small smile. "Fine." It was the answer she always gave her father because every day since they'd moved to Konoha two weeks ago, the duo ate all meals together and he asked the same question without fail.

He hummed again. "Do you feel like eating sashimi?"

She shook her head. "Dad, I think you're going to feed me raw fish either way."

Toru gave his daughter a wink over his shoulder. "Good point." As soon as he finished with the fish, he placed it in a bowl. He brought out another bowl. Katsuya watched as he chopped a bit of ginger and chili and tossed it in. He pointed at the fridge on the opposite side of the kitchen counter he worked on.

"Grab me a lemon and the orange juice, please?"

She nodded eagerly and got up, wondering what exactly her father planned on doing. She went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice and a bright yellow lemon. When she turned to her father she found him pouring oil, vinegar and soy sauce in the bowl. He told her to pour the orange juice as well. She did so with a furrowed brow.

'_Is he trying to poison us both?' _

Lastly, he cut the lemon in halves and squeezed both over the concoction, the juice mixing with the toxic schlop. Katsuya frowned as he whisked all the ingredients before pouring the stuff over the sashimi.

"Should I be worried about what we're about to eat?" She asked with a tinge of concern.

Toru shook his head with a devilish smile. "Nah." He brought the bowl to the low table and Katsuya took two pair of chopsticks from a drawer.

Minutes later, they were eating with a flow of playful banter. Katsuya found her father's dish amazing—"Isn't it always?" Toru had reminded her when she'd commented on the taste—which had the right balance of acidity and the whole just tasted fresh in her mouth.

"Where's your mother?"

Katsuya nearly dropped the fish slice she held with the abruptness of the question. Quietly, she said, "Out."

He tsked. "The only reason why she isn't here is because she's jealous I can cook."

The girl said nothing. Hideie only occasionally ate her meals with them and when she did, it was always a tense event where nobody said anything. Since they'd moved to Konoha, she had yet to eat with father and daughter.

She avoided meeting her father's eyes. _'Does he really want her to eat with us?' _

The shoji slid open unexpectedly. Both of them glanced to the doors, finding Hideie herself, carrying a small stack of books. Katsuya lowered her eyes immediately.

It was rude to stare, she reminded herself. Toru, however, continued to look at her mother with a smile. "Are you going to join us, _dear?_"

Katsuya didn't like the tone Toru used when he said 'dear'. She never did.

Hideie's beautiful face contorted in a scowl. "No. I had a banquet to attend."

"Do join us for a meal sometime." Her father's voice was needling. Katsuya felt herself gulp audibly, not liking the rising tension.

Nobody said anything for a minute. Then Hideie set the books she'd been holding down on the low table, just in front of her. With a voice that brooked no argument, she commanded, "I want you to read these in your spare time. I'm giving you the afternoon to start, I'm busy today."

The older woman barely gave Toru a nod before she left through the open shoji, making her way to the genkan* and eventually leaving the house again.

Her father smirked to himself, evidently smug about something Katsuya didn't see.

.

Katsuya carried the books up to her room, the stairs making it an especially hard task. Kimono required little, dainty steps from the wearer and the combined effort of having to watch where she was going over the stack of books and having to measure her steps at the same time almost proved to be her downfall. She'd slipped and nearly fallen down the stairs twice.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she reached her modestly sized room and went over to her desk, placing the books down.

Literature books. There were six of them, all varying in their plots, judging from what she'd read from the blurb. They were all classics, however, and Katsuya allowed herself to smile. These books seemed interesting.

Her mother clearly expected her to provide some sort of stimulating conversation, that of which would be based on what she'd gleam from the books, to future guests if she were to be a geisha one day.

The summer heat in the Land of Fire—she then understood they called it the Land of _Fire _for a reason—suddenly got to her and she quickly opened a few windows, letting some cool air in. She slid a shoji in one of the walls of her room open and she was faced with two columns of shelves which held all her clothes.

Her ordinary clothes, which comprised of yukata, kosode, kimono tops and hakama were all neatly folded and piled on the topmost shelves. Her precious kimono, however, were all wrapped in rice paper and encased in thin wooden boxes on the next shelves. She selected a yukata.

She quickly changed out of the stuffy kimono she wore to dance practice and donned the bright yellow yukata dotted with repeating patterns of pale pink peonies. She walked over to the foot of her bed where a chest of drawers lay. It housed all her obi and she carefully selected a vivid red chiffon silk obi before tying it with a simple square knot.

"Katsuya!"

Hurriedly, she tied her hair up with a red ribbon and got up as swiftly as she could. She made her way to the dining room, finding Toru fiddling with the oven. His head was currently stuffed inside the appliance, his voice echoing slightly.

"Yes, dad?" She asked, wondering what he was doing inside the oven.

"I, uh…need you to buy…" He coughed. "…some…ah…"

"Some…?"

"Some…_AHHH—" _

Katsuya cringed.

"—_**AHH—"**_

"_**ACHOO!**_"

Toru emerged from the oven, face covered in grease and yellow, uncooked gunk. He produced a handkerchief from the sleeve of his yukata and wiped his face with the unexpected grace of somebody who sneezed in the middle of inspecting their own oven. "Some stuff."

"Stuff?"

He shot her an inquisitive look that suggested the answer to that question was the simplest thing in the world. "Yes. Stuff."

She furrowed her brows. "What kind of stuff?"

Her father's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Oh! Right…"

Katsuya refrained from smacking her head like she wanted to.

He rifled through the folds of yukata before emerging with a scrap of paper. "This kind of stuff. There's money on the counter."

"Okay." She took the paper and the money, making her way to the genkan and sliding on the wooden sandals her mother demanded she wore. "I'm going out now, dad."

Toru's voice came from the kitchen. "Don't stay out too late!"

She privately rolled her eyes. "Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

.

Konoha's marketplace was beautiful, even with the bustling crowd of people. There were street food vendors with their stands, enticing her with delicious smells of deep-fried goods, and the amiable chatter between shoppers and sellers. On both sides of the street were salesmen wearing short coats and fluttering fans, beckoning her to come in and look at their wares.

It was a remarkably busy place that enveloped her in its smells, sights and noises. It all seemed welcoming somehow, especially to a girl who'd only been in Konoha for two weeks.

She made her way to the greengrocer's, curiously examining the ripe fruit and healthy looking vegetables they had on display. They all looked and smelled fresh, which made her inwardly grin with the thought of eating the fruit at home.

The aged shopkeeper appeared from behind a crate of juicy-looking apples. Katsuya bid her a good afternoon and twitched a small smile.

"I'd like some strawberries, please."

When she'd paid the owner and stuffed the strawberries in the basket she carried, she gave her a bow. The old lady stopped Katsuya before she could leave however.

"Wait! You…"

The girl raised her brows quizzically.

"You…you're not from around here, are ya?"

Katsuya shook her head. With a polite tone, she asked, "How did you know?"

The hag regarded her with a deadpan expression. She waved at her, "Nobody dresses like that anymore, I can tell ya that."

The girl calmly looked at what she wore, the cotton yukata and scarf-like obi. It was as dressed down as she could get; Katsuya didn't own anything else that would've handled the summer heat as well as the clothes she wore right then.

"And that hair! I ain't ever seen anything like that anymore. Not since the White Fang…" The crone lapsed into indistinct muttering.

Katsuya blinked. _'The white fang? What on earth is she talking about?'_

She combed a hand through her pale silver hair, suddenly conscious on the effect it had on people.

"What did you say 'yer name was?"

She hid her confusion behind a benign smile, crinkling the corners of her eyes and closing them. It was the expression she used when she had conversations she disliked.

This woman was making no sense. "Sanada Katsuya, ma'am."

The old lady eyed her suspiciously. "'Yer that kimono maker's daughter, aren't 'cha?"

Katsuya nodded.

"That scoundrel? Feh! He comes 'ere every day, tryin' to haggle with the price of _**my **_produce, expecting me to lower them." Scarily, the hag cackled, "Well I never listened to him. I'll tell you this—the price is right, what with the freshness and deliciousness of my fruit!" She set her weary gaze back on Katsuya.

"Oh, but you don't wanna hear that about 'yer handsome daddy now do you?" At her widened eyes, the shopkeeper cackled again. "Yeah, he's a handsome one alright! Brown hair and eyes like a chestnut, peachy skin…"

The girl shuddered, deciding not to think of her father that way. It just seemed…_wrong_ to do so. She cut the shopkeeper short in her speech. "I apologize, ma'am but I have to be on my way."

The old woman shooed her away like a fly. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Come back tomorrow, ya' hear?"

Katsuya bowed minutely. "I'll come when I can, ma'am."

The hag nodded, disappearing within the store, muttering something suspiciously like _"You're so polite it's disgusting"._

The girl felt herself smile in spite of the shopkeeper's repulsion to her politeness. She turned to leave when she stumbled into another person.

"Oh, excuse me—"

She found herself eye to eye with a boy that looked to be her age. They were evenly matched in height—they'd bumped foreheads. She rubbed at the afflicted area. "I'm sorry."

The boy had jet black jaw-length hair and wide obsidian eyes that looked at her with a strange expression she couldn't place.

Some off-kilter feeling hit her.

'_This boy is handsome.'_

Both kids looked away the moment they looked eyes, a faint blush of red tingeing their cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Katsuya miraculously managed without stuttering. She sneaked a glance his way, finding his pale skin now with a brush of red. The boy nodded wordlessly.

She glanced at the ground, finding that she had dropped her basket and some strawberries had spilled.

'_Oh no!' _She desperately hoped none of the strawberries had bruised. She went to pick them up but the boy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me." He said, a flustered expression on his face. With inhuman speed, he collected all her strawberries and put them in the basket. He gave the wicker object back to her. "Here."

Katsuya felt the beginnings of a grin taking hold of her face, taking back her basket. He was quick, amazingly quick, she couldn't help but notice. He still said nothing but she bowed gratefully. "Thank you."

The boy nodded again before disappearing within the greengrocer's shop, probably off to do his own shopping.

The rest of her trip passed by happily. Katsuya devoured the sights and sounds of the market as she shopped for the materials her father needed, making small talk with a few of the (more normal compared to the first) shopkeepers.

She was swimming in a cheerful haze when she arrived home. A haze that quickly dissipated when she arrived to a furious Hideie.

"Where have you been all this time?" She asked with an angry scowl. She turned. "I won't even listen to your excuse. Come. We'll have to practice tea ceremony again, we have a visitor tomorrow."

The handsome boy at the greengrocer's was all forgotten.

.

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**A/N: **So yes, I decided this thing needed a rewrite. I was only two chapters in, but I felt like I needed to switch up the plot and characters a bit. Sorry for the confusion but yes, hahahaha, I really needed to rewrite the story.

*genkan - traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat. (just copied this off the internet.)

Has any other person that my stories seem weather themed? Deluge? Claps of thunder? Heh.

Does anybody notice the major character changes? Hideie is waaaaay different and so is Toru (a little bit).

In all honesty, this thing chapter used to longer but I decided that it was too heavy for a first chapter and split it in two.

I will not guarantee that Katsuya will be a civilian forever. She's anything but a civilian in the series I plan for her-woops, I think I said too much.

Just saying though.

Please review, tell me your thoughts so far!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only run the kennel Kakashi's ninken stay at.

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**chapter 2 **| spring rain

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"I've never asked you this before."

"Hm?"

"It's a question two years late."

A curious expression crossed her face and Toru watched closely for her reaction.

"How do you like Konoha so far?"

She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows.

Toru grinned broadly.

His daughter was _adorable. _He continued shoveling yogurt in his mouth in an effort to keep himself from squealing. Katsuya may have been nine years old but he still treated her like she was five in these instances. Without waiting for her answer, he let go of his restraint and reached over the low table to pinch her cheek.

"Ugh! Why are you so cute?"

The girl slapped her father's hand away, setting down the bowl of rice porridge she had in hand. "Dad, no! Please stop it."

Her face was serious but the mirth in her eyes told him her refusal was half-hearted. Her small smile, he knew, was a cheerful one. She was secretly glad that she received her father's praise albeit she got in an annoying, coddling manner fit for a baby.

Yes, Toru knew his daughter very well. He always had.

"Then quit being so adooooorableeeee."

Toru knew Katsuya was starved for praise, which was why he showered her in the small ways he could during the times Hideie wasn't around. Which, admittedly, was most of the time.

The father inwardly frowned. Hideie nearly didn't talk to their daughter as much as a parent should.

"I can't help it. _You_ try telling my face to stop being adorable."

"Am I not doing so now?"

His daughter playfully rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She gave a small huff that left her cheeks puffed. She looked like a squirrel who had stuffed her face in with nuts.

He shoved another spoonful of yogurt in his mouth, trying to ignore the face she gave him. "You haven't answered my question."

Katsuya smiled, giving his question a wordless response. It was a nice smile, he told himself, a smile she wore more often. She seemed happier in Konoha.

They washed the dishes from their peaceful breakfast later, both father and daughter working together. Toru scrubbed and washed the plates while Katsuya wiped them dry and tucked them away in cabinets.

Toru was whistling a jaunty tune. Momentarily, the girl looked away from the plate she held in her hand and instead gazed out the window—outside was a view of the street they lived in.

Nothing interesting caught her eyes until they landed on a group of men walking out of a walled compound, all of them clothed in moss green vests. They all had black hair and wore a band of cloth with an emblazoned metal plate on different parts of their body.

She noticed one man twirling something in his finger. It was a knife of some sort with a ring on the end of the handle. She looked back at her father, who had been watching her observe the group of men.

She'd occasionally seen similarly dressed men and women walking on the street when she gazed out her bedroom window and had always wondered what they were.

She figured now would be the right time to ask questions.

"What are they?" Katsuya asked quietly, furrowing her brows once again.

'_I've never seen anyone like them before.' _

Toru shrugged and went back to washing the plates. "They're ninja. Part of the police force, I suspect."

She struggled to understand. Ninja?"

"They're—"

"Nobody you should associate with."

They hadn't even noticed Hideie slide the door open. Katsuya said nothing, bowing her head and looking at her fingers, inexplicably feeling as if she'd been caught in the act of doing something her mother absolutely told her not to do.

Toru looked at her with his piercing brown eyes, as if expecting something from her. His mouth was still set in a smile although she knew it didn't mean he was happy.

It made Katsuya want to flinch. _'What does he want me to do?' _

An alabaster pale hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up at its owner, finding Hideie's perfectly oval face marred with a fierce frown directed at Toru. "Let's go, Katsuya."

She nodded wordlessly. She glanced at her father again. He gave her a closed-eyes smile that had his eyes drawn in little crescents. He waved at her flippantly, keeping up a pretense of nonchalance. "I'll finish up here."

Katsuya wasn't fooled.

She and her mother made her way to the only room in the entire house decked in tatami mats. She could hear her mother muttering under her breath.

"…what does he think? That I'll let her near those…"

"…never should have told him in the first place…"

"…he just can't resist opening his mouth…"

Unbidden, the girl's mind welled with curiosity.

'_She should've never told dad about what?' _

'_Why does she want me to stay away from ninja?'_

Her thoughts were cut short when they arrived at the room. Her mother waved her in, giving her two fans.

"We'll be doing more dances from kabuki theatre today. I will teach you the steps first."

With that said, Katsuya prepared herself for three hours of training. It was never a hard time. She always followed her mother obediently, never making any noises of complaint when her muscles strained from holding them in dancing positions for too long.

Once it finished, Hideie sent her away for the two hour lunch break. Toru had prepared chicken teriyaki for lunch. The two spent the entire an hour eating and talking before her father washed the dishes and excused himself-he headed to the basement which the girl understood to be her father's workshop.

Hideie had then entered right on time, proclaiming the two hours was done and basically ordered Katsuya to practice using the shamisen. Of course, Katsuya said nothing and nodded. Her mother left her then, putting on a haori and leaving the house.

The girl made sure to wait five minutes, alone in the room, before giving a large sigh. She hated using the shamisen—her hands would always come away aching so badly that every time there was even the slightest pressure applied to the skin of her hands, it would hurt as if they'd been bashed with a hammer.

It didn't really mean that she wasn't good at playing the instrument—her father, who was a notoriously good shamisen player, told her that she was actually quite skilled—it just meant she hated having to play it.

She went upstairs, her kimono again limiting her movement to little dainty steps, and plucked the already assembled shamisen from its perch beside her desk. She retrieved the plectrum from a drawer and started tuning the three strings it had, abhorring every second of what she was doing.

She then began to play a simple tune, letting the fingers holding down the strings slowly get accustomed to the hard work shamisen playing required.

While she played, Katsuya wondered where her mother went. She seemed to be going out more often, especially after her dance lessons.

'_Where does she go?' _

She knew that if Hideie had any friends in the village, she would have surely invited to her home already. Yet no such guest ever came in the past two years of their residence at Konoha.

Katsuya frowned. _'What is she up to?' _

It was strange behavior for Hideie who had, before moving to Konoha, always stayed in to make sure she trained diligently. It intrigued Katsuya more than it should.

She switched topics, her head wandering back to the image of the group of _ninja _she had seen outside the kitchen window.

Ninja.

It was such a foreign concept; the girl couldn't help but think with wonder.

The word rolled off her tongue smoothly.

"Nin-_jah_."

The door to her room rolled open. She shut her mouth immediately, scared that it would be Hideie catching with the word on her lips. Katsuya sighed with relief when it was Toru instead, holding a list.

He grinned at her crookedly.

"You've improved on the shamisen, I see."

The girl returned the grin with a smile.

"Thank you."

He came inside her room, taking the shamisen and plectrum from her grip before setting it on her bed. He dangled the small piece of paper in front of her face. "I was saving this for a later day but since I see that you're already so _terribly _good at playing the shamisen...How about some grocery shopping?"

Translation: _"I know you're bored so why don't you go out for a while?" _

Katsuya grinned. "Yes!" She thanked whatever gods were watching over her for blessing her with such a perceptively caring father.

Toru gave a dramatic wave of his hand. "Then out you go, Katsu-chan."

She playfully shoved her father as she stood, ignoring his use of her nickname. "Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore."

He shook his head and gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulders. "Yes, you are. Now go get changed."

.

The nine year old walked the streets of Konoha with an expression of barely contained happiness on her face. It felt good to get out of the house again—her father always found her ways to smuggle her out. Most of the time, it was grocery shopping, as it was then. For all Katsuya knew, she wasn't ignoring her studies. She was just carrying out her father's requests.

After living there for two years, the village hidden in the leaves still managed to instill in her the same sense of wonder she felt the day she'd first gone to the market. She was familiar with the marketplace now but still didn't know more about the village. She hoped that one day, Hideie would permit her to explore the village.

It was a windy day and low, grey clouds hung in the sky. The gloomy weather, however, did nothing to dampen her sunny mood. She passed by now-familiar sights and sounds, politely conversing with the shopkeepers she met on her shopping trip.

Katsuya thanked the man who was now handing her a kilo of mackerel imported from the Land of Waves. The man, Kazu was his name, tipped his head, thanking _her _for her patronage. The girl's smile broadened with his kindness.

Outside the shop, clouds moved to block the sun.

Thunder was soon heard in the distance.

Katsuya peered from the cloth that hung from the shop's entrance, glancing at the dark sky. She then rolled the sleeve of her kimono, exposing the skin of her hand to the drizzles.

Katsuya quickly went back inside and paid Kazu, an apologetic expression on her face. "Excuse me, Kazu-san, but I have to get home before it rains."

He chuckled at her politeness. "It's Kazu, Katsuya-chan. I can lend you an umbrella if you want."

She shook her head before bowing and smiled. "It's alright but thanks anyway. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Katsuya stepped out of the shop and gripped her basket tight. She picked up the skirt of her yukata, lifting the fabric mid-calf and thus showing a bit of her skinny legs. The earth was already damp from the drizzles and Katsuya was sure Hideie would give her a lashing if she got mud on the hem of her yukata.

The clack-clack from her steps resounded in Katsuya's ears as she hurriedly made her way back to her home. Her hurrying was useless though—the drizzles quickly turned into a full-on rainstorm by the time she managed to spot a waiting shed nearby. She quickly passed through a park's gates to get in it.

'_Waiting shed is correct. I have to wait here until the rain weakens.' _she thought to herself as she stood at the very edge of the shed, the roof above her giving her the bare minimum of protection from the rain.

Katsuya regretted turning down Kazu's offer.

She stood there for a moment, observing the small park the waiting shed stood in. In front of the shed was a small dirt path lined with the green, leafy trees Konoha was known for. The path started from the gates she'd passed by earlier and ended by a lake at the back of the park.

A lake. Konoha had one of those?

She gave herself a wry smile. She should've found out earlier.

If she poked her head in the rain a little, she could see that there was a pier built over the lake. Katsuya excited herself with the prospect of going there sometime. She observed the rest of the park: it had several pathways aside from the one that led to the lake and all were lined with the beautiful flora of Konoha in spring.

She turned from where she stood. Her eyes widened when she found somebody in the shed with her. A boy sitting on the end of one of the benches the shed had, she realized.

He'd been staring the whole time. She could tell because he quickly looked away the moment she locked eyes with him.

Katsuya bowed slightly. "Good afternoon," She murmured.

He had matching black hair and eyes. Curiously, she noted that he had small creases underneath the obsidian eyes. The boy inclined his head politely. "Good afternoon."

He also had a band of cloth wrapped around his head, emblazoned with what she knew to be the symbol of Konoha.

'_Is he…?' _

She sat down on the opposite side of the bench he sat at, occasionally glancing at him. He reminded her of someone she'd met. She didn't know who yet she couldn't place the feeling that she knew him. Even if the feeling was vague, she was sure that she knew him somehow.

A few minutes of her quiet observation was all it took for her to be writhing with curiosity.

'_Those eyes…' _

His eyes were like the obsidian stones on her mother's jewelry. He seemed intelligent to her—he had the same calculating look in his eyes her father sometimes had. There was a serious tilt to his mouth…he wasn't like most children in the aspect that he looked grave just by looking at the ground.

And when he turned to look at the rain outside the shed, she thought he was like one of those statues one would normally find at a shrine. His expression was the embodiment of peace.

"Stop staring."

He said it suddenly and politely, gaze never straying from the rain.

Katsuya didn't miss a beat—she hadn't made a particular effort in hiding her stare anyway. He had caught her but she knew she couldn't have helped it.

He was _different_.

She didn't know him much yet that was the only thing that she could tell about him for sure.

"Tell me if I'm wrong but I think I know you." Her response to his polite command wasn't what he expected. It showed on his face by the brief widening of his eyes, but he swiftly willed the emotion away and once again became inscrutable.

He nodded.

"We've met."

Katsuya frowned, wondering how on earth she could ever forget somebody like him. "…When?"

For a minute there, she thought he wouldn't answer her question by the way he didn't react to it. But to her surprise, he started rummaging through the brown book bag he carried. A moment later, he started scooting closer to her side of the bench but still retaining some space. His head was bowed slightly, gaze fixated on the thing he held in his hands.

Katsuya set her basket by her feet, eyeing the plastic container he was now sliding across the bench and towards her. She took it in both hands and looked at the boy questioningly.

He was looking at her with a neutral expression but she could see the corners of his mouth twitching minutely.

"Open it."

Nodding, she took the lid off the plastic container and found three rows of neatly arranged strawberries.

Her memory was jogged by the sight of the red fruit.

The girl knew what he meant by the strawberries. He was the boy she'd bumped into the market two years ago. The one who'd picked up her spilled strawberries for her.

She unconsciously smiled at the memory.

An amusing thought popped into her head and before she could think about her words, she blurted, "Don't tell me you've been carrying strawberries ever since that day."

"No, I haven't."

He said it with such a tone of amusement, she transferred her gaze. He was smiling faintly at what she'd said.

Katsuya stopped herself from feeling dumbfounded at his small smile, instead choosing to laugh quietly. She shook her head. "I didn't expect you to."

_'So he isn't always a statue.' _

When nothing more was said, she replaced the lid and handed the container back to him. He took it without a word.

There was silence between them after that, nothing but the sounds of the rain pounding on the roof of the shed and the pitter patter of the drops striking the ground not protected within it.

'_I can tell he doesn't want to say anything else anyway.' _The girl knew when talking wasn't needed; it was a lesson drilled into her by Hideie. Geisha were expected to be experts at conversation—knowing when to babble and when to shut one's trap was part of it.

It nearly a quarter hour of wordlessness when she spotted a figure in the rain. Even in the distance, Katsuya could easily tell it was Toru with his fine silk kimono and red lacquered umbrella.

She grinned inwardly. She was noticing her father fussing with the hem of his kimono, trying to ensure the plum colored silk he wore didn't get wet from the rain. Of course, it didn't work. It rained too hard.

Toru reminded her of a woman by the way he meticulously attended to his appearance. Needless to say, she didn't feel surprised seeing him there.

Katsuya stood, placing the basket back in the crook of her elbow. She bowed to the boy who was now staring at her father with a strange expression.

"It was nice meeting you again…"

It occurred to her that she hadn't even asked him for his name. She raised herself, leveling him with an inquisitive stare she knew he could decipher.

He didn't disappoint, quenching her curiosity. "Itachi." He inclined his head.

"I'm Katsuya." She smiled at him sincerely, meaning every word of what she was about to say.

"It was nice meeting you again, Itachi-san."

She turned and walked to the edge of the shed, waving at Toru.

Her father waved back. When he arrived at the edge of the waiting shed, he took the basket from her arm and brought her under the umbrella. "Been waiting long?" He asked with an easy grin.

The girl nodded her head. "Yes, but...I knew you'd come looking for me."

Toru mimicked an expression of incredulity, "What kind of father wouldn't look for his child when they don't return home in two hours?"

She shrugged playfully, ignoring his outburst. She tossed a glance over her shoulder, locking eyes with Itachi. "See you around."

The silent boy nodded, careful expression back on his face. He turned his head away to stare at the rain.

Father and daughter made their way back to their townhouse.

_"Soooooo…_who was that?"

She blatantly ignored her father by gazing at the rain.

"Oh, not answering? I'll take that as a yes. Katsu-chan, I think you're too young to have a boyfriend."

The withering glare she sent him told Toru that it wasn't that way between her and Itachi. When her father opened his mouth to no doubt tease her once again, she threatened to take the umbrella from him and leave him in the rain.

"Okay okay, I get it! Don't let me get wet, my kimono will get ruined."

They left it at that.

.

When they had dessert that night it wasn't until Toru brought out spongecake topped with cream and strawberries when Katsuya realized she had forgotten to ask Itachi the one question she absolutely needed to now.

_'Is he a ninja?' _

.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello guys! This chapter was a pain to write, especially because of Itachi-chan. If you guys have watched any of the new ANBU episodes (shippuden 360, I think) that feature Itachi, they depicted him as an openly cheerful person at the age of 11. He smiled and asked a lot of questions, especially when he was with Kakashi. His behavior toward Kakashi perplexed me-I always painted Itachi to be a person reserved about their emotions, even when he was a kid. But the new episodes changed my perspective and I'm having a hard time adapting.

I rewrote this chapter twice because I wanted to keep Itachi in character. He could be open about his emotions, we know that, but I don't think he would be completely open toward somebody he didn't know. (Katsuya, in this case.)

So the Itachi we see in this chapter is a mix of the guarded Itachi and the open Itachi. He's guarded in the way that he's very careful with the way he acts towards Katsuya initially, paying not a lot of attention to her and hiding his emotions in one instance. But he's also open in the way that he bothered to show her the strawberries he carried in his bag and smiling-no matter how small the smile was-at her.

By the way, I can just totally see Mikoto packing lunch boxes and containers of fruits for Itachi to bring with him to practice. Awww.

If anybody would like a more detailed explanation of how wearing kimono and other traditional attire works, just say so! I would love to shed some light on it.

Please tell me what you think so far by leaving a review! I thank all the people who have taken the time to read so far. Cheers!

(Was Itachi OOC for you guys? I hope he wasn't.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only carve the faces of hokages on Hokage mountain.

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**chapter 3 **| wait a minute, who are you?

* * *

Katsuya was surprised to find Hideie rolling the shoji open with somebody behind her. Immediately, she placed her chopsticks down on the rim of her plate.

"Mother," She said, wondering why Hideie had a smile plastered on her face. Hideie stood to the side of the doorway, beckoning the stranger in.

The girl then looked at Toru, who had been eating his lunch across her peacefully. He was now standing, a surprised look on his face. "Hokage-sama!"

Katsuya's eyes widened. _'What is the hokage doing here?' _She stood up quickly, trying her best to look elegant as she did so.

Hideie shot a reproaching look her way, as if berating her for her brief lapse in manners.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the doorway, dressed in the traditional attire of the hokage—a white haori and red kimono. He had his hands clasped behind his back and was soon shaking his head at father and daughter. He rasped in a kind tone, "No, it's alright. Please, continue your meal."

Katsuya shot her mother a questioning look. Seeing Hideie nod, she reluctantly sat back down on the cushion and took up her chopsticks. Her mother asked the hokage to sit, which he did.

Unfortunately for the nine year old girl, the hokage chose to sit beside her on the low table.

'_He's the leader of Konoha…' _She tried her best not to stare at the elderly man beside her and act normal. _'What's this tingling feeling I get?' _

The moment he sat down beside her, she felt something trickling down her spine. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was nervousness.

Katsuya couldn't tell.

Toru seemed to get over his surprise and quickly started a conversation with the hokage, not in the least bothered by such an important person's presence in his home. The girl would've gaped at his nonchalance if she weren't trying to appear so calm.

She stole glances at the man seated beside her. The hokage had a few discolored spots on his wrinkled face, spiky brown hair on his head that had several grey streaks in it.

"Hokage-sama, have you eaten lunch yet?"

"There's no need to be so formal, Toru."

Katsuya's brows furrowed as she sipped her tea, wondering at the easiness with which her family welcomed the hokage. _'How does dad know the hokage?' _

Toru shook his head, a sly smile on his handsome face. "I respect authority, hokage-sama. Always have."

To her utter surprise, the hokage laughed. "And here I thought we were old friends."

Her father raised a chestnut brown eyebrow. "Aren't we?"

The hokage merely smirked in response. "I suppose we are."

"Would you like some tea, hokage-sama?" Hideie, playing the part of gracious hostess perfectly, asked. She was by the kitchen part of the room, holding a teapot.

"Yes, that would be nice." The man nodded, then turning his gaze to Katsuya.

The girl felt herself gulp.

"_He's the most important man in the entire village," _She recalled Toru lecturing her when she'd once asked who led Konoha. The thought only made her pale.

"You must be Toru and Hideie's daughter. Tell me, what's your name?" His tone radiated warmth which eased her nerves a bit. His squinty black eyes looked at her with kindness.

Katsuya tried her best not to stutter. "I'm Katsuya, sir."

Toru hummed approvingly on the other side of the low table as he chewed on a bit of beef.

"And how old are you?"

Heartened by her father's positive response, she smiled shyly at the hokage. "I'm nine years old, sir, turning ten in the next month."

"I see you've got your mother's coloring," He observed before turning to Toru. "She's all Hideie, Toru, I don't see a single bit of you in her."

Her father pretended to look sorrowful at that fact, placing his chin in an open palm. "It's something I lament every now and then. She would be beautiful with the signature Sanada brown hair and brown eyes…"

The hokage shook his head. "Ah, but she is striking with Hideie's silvery hair and greenish gray eyes." He then patted her head in a very grandfatherly manner. He turned to Hideie pouring him a cup of tea. "She is even as polite as Hideie."

Her mother smiled, though Katsuya knew it was only skin deep.

"If you think so, hokage-sama."

The older woman sat down beside Toru, setting the teapot on the table. Katsuya looked at the picture her father and mother presented—sitting side by side, happy smiles plastered on their faces, exchanging loving looks at each other occasionally.

Katsuya bore witness to this display of normalcy sometimes. Back before they moved to Konoha, they'd done this to the few visitors Hideie brought home with her. It was an elaborate and believable ruse; Hideie could play the charming hostess, the caring mother and the affectionate wife when necessity struck.

Katsuya grew up with that kind of family and never questioned it. It was evident in the way that Toru and Hideie always pretended to have a "normal" family whenever other people were around that she knew her parents didn't want anybody else to know what kind of household they had.

"Do you like Konoha, Katsuya? I understand that your family moved here two years ago."

The girl wanted to grin but contained the feeling. _'I definitely like Konoha.' _

"Yes, hokage-sama. It's a very beautiful village. The people are welcoming."

Her mother on the other side of the table kept the smile she held, eyes glancing at her for a moment. She knew what it meant.

It evidently meant that she gave the right answer, judging by Hideie's approving smirk and the hokage's nod.

"That's good to know."

The conversation went on like this. The hokage and her parents talked adult talk with a few questions peppered here and there directed at Katsuya.

"Have you made up your mind on what you want to be when you grow up?" The hokage asked idly. Katsuya readily nodded, an answer already prepared.

"It has been decided for me to become a geisha, hokage-sama."

"Is that your father's decision or your mother's?"

Without hesitation, she answered, "Both, sir."

A crease formed in the hokage's forehead but he kept his expression light. Katsuya, however, detected a note of seriousness in his eyes in the glance she stole at him.

"But what is _your _wish?"

"It's my wish as well, hokage-sama."

"And here I thought you wanted to be a ninja…" The hokage gave a laugh, which Toru seconded. He sipped his tea, "The life of a ninja is interesting as well, Katsuya. Most, if not all, children in Konoha dream of becoming one. I'm sure the shinobi way would interest you."

Katsuya pursed her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hideie tightly gripping the teacup she held in hand and her smile suddenly seemed forced.

"The decision, of course, is still up to your parents but _you_ also have a say in your future_._"

She could feel the rising tension in the room because anger rolled off of Hideie in waves—the hokage, of course, was oblivious to the shift in atmosphere.

He couldn't read Hideie like Katsuya could.

The nine year old nodded at what the hokage said, pretending to understand what he meant by it.

'_What does the hokage mean? It's as if…he doesn't want me to become a geisha.'_

She didn't miss the emphasis he put in saying she had a hand in her future either.

'_Does he want me to do something?' _

"I must get going now."

The hokage stood abruptly and the three of them—Hideie, Toru and Katsuya—stood as well. He dipped his head at her father and mother before turning to pat Katsuya on the shoulder. "You seem like a clever, responsible girl Katsuya. Please remember what I said today."

Katsuya hid her confusion at what he said and instead nodded. "Thank you, hokage-sama. I will."

Hideie offered to accompany him to the hokage residence, to which he nodded. "I appreciate your company, Hideie, but," His gaze lingered on her, "I would request Katsuya to come with us if that is the case."

The nine year old felt surprised that the hokage wanted her to come.

She was quiet for a moment, wondering why that was when she realized both Hideie and the hokage were waiting for her response.

'_He's asking __**me**_?'

He was smiling at her kindly. "Will you mind if you come with us?"

Katsuya imagined that she heard a smidgen of expectation in his tone but she happily ignored it. She wanted to go outside anyway. "No, sir. I would like to come, actually."

.

It was one thing to walk the streets of Konoha alone. It was quite another thing to walk with the hokage and Hideie.

People would stop whatever it was they were doing and bow respectfully to the hokage and after receiving his warm greeting, they would look at Hideie and bow to her as well. Hideie would then return their bow without hesitation, sometimes verbally greeting them with a "Hello, Junko-san," or a "Good afternoon, Shima-kun,"

It seemed strange, how these people bowed to her mother as if the reverence they paid to Hideie was the same as the reverence they paid the leader of their village. Maybe that was the reason why her mother routinely disappeared in the afternoons—she was busy paying visits.

The villagers would bow to Hideie and the hokage but never to her. At the very most they would nod at her politely, but it wasn't like they knew her and she knew them. So she would always bow to whoever they met on the street without expecting one in return.

As they walked, the hokage talked about Konoha with such warmth, it was as if the village itself brought him happiness. He would talk to Hideie about various projects and developments the village was undertaking and to Katsuya he would talk about his days as a youth in Konoha—back when the village was still growing.

The nine year old decided she liked the hokage; he gave off such a kind and grandfatherly air that Katsuya couldn't help but like. He was kind to her as he was to anybody in the village and no doubt welcomed her presence, even if she'd been a villager for only two years.

They passed by the Ninja Academy where plenty of parents waiting for their children to finish school greeted them. The hokage looked at Katsuya with a twinkle in his eye, mood brightened by the sight of Konoha's future ninja.

He told her, "This is where kids your age train to become genin, which is the lowest rank of ninja there is."

Katsuya was enraptured by the sight of kids, both younger and older than her, running out of the academy's doors just as a bell rang. Some ran to their waiting parents, some ran to the nearby playground.

"Let's play ninja!"

"Tag! You can't catch me!"

"Hey, let's practice our taijutsu!"

The hokage noticed her stare. "Like I said, I'm sure this would interest you."

She snapped out of her daze, hearing the hokage's words. She contemplated her answer for a moment, wondering what response Hideie would approve. "I don't know, hokage-sama."

He smiled. "You should try going to the academy for a few days. If you don't like it, you can always stop taking the classes. What do you think, Hideie?"

The girl turned her gaze over to a smiling Hideie. "A splendid idea, to be sure! Perhaps one day, Katsuya will go, hokage-sama."

The veins popping out of her mother's neck, however, told a different story. Katsuya knew she was furious behind her façade of happiness. Both mother and daughter knew not to refuse the hokage. But if it had been some other person asking, Hideie would've flat out said no.

Ninja were people that Hideie that didn't want her to associate with, after all.

"Katsuya, why don't you run along now? We still have a long way to go and I'm sure you're tired. I'll meet you back home later."

It was less a question and more a command but Katsuya said nothing. She nodded obediently, bowing to the hokage. "Goodbye, hokage-sama."

He looked conflicted and opened his mouth before clamping it shut. It was after a moment when he decided to speak again, "I will see you, Katsuya." He patted her on the shoulder for the last time that day.

Hideie nodded at her and the three parted ways. The girl watched her mother's retreating back for a moment before sighing.

She felt drained with having to be put on constant alert that afternoon. She always had to watch how she moved and watch what she spoke around Hideie.

She looked around where she stood. To her left was the academy's playground, where groups of children were playing. To her left was a tree which had an empty swing hanging from one of its branches. In front of her was the entrance to academy's—she guessed—main building, giant red double doors. The building itself had a giant sign with the kanji for 'fire' on it.

The girl wondered why Hideie wanted her to stay away from the innocent children playing at the playground. They were training to be ninja and her mother wanted her to stay away.

For the life of her, she couldn't imagine _why. _

There was a faint sound of rustling leaves beside her, coming from the direction of the tree with the swing. She turned around, coming face to face with a boy.

He had short, curly black hair and similarly colored black eyes. He wore an all black outfit and a band of cloth with a metal plate around his forehead. He reminded her of Itachi in a way—they had the same coloring.

'_Maybe they're related.' _

"Good afternoon."

She inwardly questioned his sudden appearance. Did he know her? "Good afternoon to you too."

The boy, who had to be at least three years older than her, smiled at her earnestly. "I'm Shisui."

"Well…hi, Shisui-san. I'm Katsuya."

He flicked a curly tendril out of his eyes, "Pleased to meet you but I already know your name."

'_Why is he talking to me?' _

"Can I ask how?"

"Itachi told me."

'_I should've known.'_

"Are you two…related?"

"It's…something like that."

"Can you be more specific?"

"We're from the same clan."

She nodded absently. It had been a few weeks since she last saw Itachi at the waiting shed. "Oh."

There was silence for a few moments. Shisui was observing her but trying to be discreet about it—she knew by the contemplative expression on his face.

He muttered lowly to himself, "Huh. I didn't know Itachi liked that kind of girl."

She calmly raised a silvery brow. She had heard that _clearly. _

"What kind of girl?"

His eyes widened, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean any disrespect but…" He gestured at her. "Well…what are you?"

With a deadpan tone, she answered, "A geisha apprentice in training."

His face still looked apologetic. "I didn't know Itachi liked the geisha apprentice in training kind of girl."

Katsuya would've liked to scoff at his lackluster answer. She rolled her eyes instead.

"Me and Itachi-san are only acquaintances, Shisui-san."

"It's alright to call me and him without the _san_, Katsuya."

Her expression turned questioning. "Are you sure?"

He smiled warmly. "Very sure. We're best friends. I would know."

In the short time she knew him she figured he was the friendly type—he was always polite and open, not afraid to show kindness in his expression. Katsuya marveled at how he and Itachi came to be best friends; they seemed like opposites, the only thing common between them was their politeness.

She decided to be reciprocate his friendliness with a smile of her own.

"So tell me, Katsuya, why are you dressed like that?"

She knew he wasn't trying to be rude—his tone was honest in its curiosity. The girl swept a hand over her kimono and obi, "You mean like this?"

He nodded. She tilted her head at him quizzically, wondering why everybody thought it was strange for her to wear a kimono.

"But I'm always dressed like this. Is there something wrong?"

"No…but…"

"But?"

"I don't know. Not a lot of people dress like that anymore? No offense."

"I noticed. But still. Where I come from, people always dress like this."

He raised both his brows at what she said. "Really?"

"Really."

Shisui smiled slightly. "Well, it's not like you don't look nice in it anyway."

Katsuya felt herself blush. _'Why is he so nice all the time?' _

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So…that thing on your forehead, what is it?"

He pointed at the thing in question. "This?"

"Yes."

"It's a forehead protector. It means I'm an honorary ninja of Konoha."

'_Oh.' _So she was speaking to a ninja right then. It meant that Hideie didn't want her to be talking with Shisui right then and there.

She felt sadness at that revelation—she found talking with Shisui pleasant, even if she'd only known him for a few minutes.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head rapidly. "No! No. It's just that…um…" She tried thinking of an excuse to her sudden change in demeanor.

"Is…Itachi a ninja too?"

He smiled, but his eyes were slightly worried. "Yes. He's a really good one, too."

'_Hideie doesn't want me talking to the likes of him. To the likes of Itachi.' _

Katsuya tried her best to smile back but worried the result was a poor imitation of one. "Excuse me, Shisui, but I have to go now."

The boy seemed surprised at her hurried manner but made no comment of it. Thank the gods Shisui was too polite to refuse her. "Oh. Okay...See you later?"

She bit her lip, conflicted on what to say. She decided on telling him the truth.

"I…I don't think so, Shisui."

Without another word, she bowed to him and left.

She didn't know why Shisui wanted to see her again or why he approached her that day in the first place. All she knew was that she could never talk to him again.

.

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**A/N: **Hey guys. Why am I updating so quick? Because I really want to finish writing this series. If you must know, I'm writing three pieces: an Itachi/OC pre-massacre fic, an Itachi/OC shippuden fic and a Tobirama/OC fic that's set in the Warring States period. All of the characters will belong to the same universe so expect to find a lot of interrelated stuff.

Also, I have a mind to start writing an AU Itachi/OC fic just for the heck of it. Then there's the collection of one-shots that I plan to do for Itachi and Katsuya.

I want to write so many things at the same time but ugh I have to finish this fic before I can even start the others.

Did you know? I originally didn't plan to put Shisui in this chapter but he just did. Haha. I had to change the plot a bit but Shisuiiiiiii. Considering the new episodes that include Shisui in it, I hope the Shisui in this fic isn't OOC.

Thanks for reading so far. Please leave your thoughts and comments in a review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only wash dishes at Ichiraku.

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**chapter 4 **| solitude, somehow

* * *

Katsuya carefully dug her heels in the dirt and pushed, making her body swing backwards.

She didn't know why she bothered going there—she was sure her mother would've barred her from the place if Hideie knew where she was—but after shopping for more tea as requested by her father, her feet brought her to the ninja academy once again.

For ten full minutes, she'd sat herself on the swing of the lonesome tree in front of the ninja academy's entrance and swung herself.

'_There are kids my age there. Learning how to become ninja.' _

The nine year old had let her eyes sweep over the buildings of the academy, stopping for a moment or two to gaze through the windows where children sat in classrooms.

There was _something_ there that truly aroused curiosity in her.

'_What do they learn exactly? What do you need to become a ninja? Is it hard? What are the chances of even graduating?' _

'_Can I be one too?' _

She remembered her conversation with the hokage yesterday.

"_You should try going to the academy for a few days. If you don't like it, you can always stop taking the classes." _

Theoretically speaking, she should be able to go. However, the matter at hand was if she would and could.

Of course, she couldn't go to the academy. Hideie wouldn't let her, if her behavior towards ninja was any indication.

'_But would I go to the academy?' _

Did she want to become a ninja? Not exactly. Her life thus far was good enough—why would she want to become one? She didn't really have a reason other than simple curiosity, which wasn't a very strong reason in the first place.

She pursed her lips. While she didn't have much reason to become a ninja, she had plenty to become a geisha. Her mother wanted it, her father wanted it and even Katsuya herself wanted it.

Even if only a little bit—the certainty that she could become a successful geisha with the help of her mother was a reason why wanted it.

'_I won't fail as a geisha. Mother wouldn't let that happen to her only daughter, of course.' _

Katsuya didn't understand much of the world her mother once belonged to: a world of elegant teahouses, of late nights spent dancing and twirling fans, of a life keeping the secrets of powerful men. Katsuya didn't comprehend any of it, not even when Hideie—on the off chance that she felt like telling stories of her life as a geisha—tried explaining it all to her.

No, she didn't understand any of it and yet she still stuck to the dance lessons, to the etiquette lessons, to the tea ceremony lessons. And yet the security of her future still lay in her geisha training, and she wouldn't risk such a precious thing. Not even when she couldn't understand the purpose of what she trained for.

Another reason why she stuck to it was because she didn't see herself as anything but a geisha either—and on the other hand, she just couldn't see herself becoming a ninja either. At least, not entirely. Not while she had no assurance she would be successful, not while her mother seemed to abhor their very existence.

Still; she was curious of what they were.

.

When she returned home, it was Hideie who hurriedly slid the latticed dark cherry wood doors of their house open. "You should've arrived half an hour ago! Katsuya, where have you been!?"

Instead of looking furious, like Katsuya would have expected when her mother greeted her at the door right then, she looked worried. "Well!?"

She couldn't really tell Hideie she'd been at the ninja academy, could she? Normally, she would've been able to pull off a lie but Katsuya never liked lying to her mother.

With no other option, she was left silent.

"Fine! Just get in. Luckily for you the elders have just arrived."

Which meant that tea would have to be served in a short while. Understanding the situation, Katsuya slipped her wooden sandals off and entered the kitchen/dining room behind her mother.

The hokage sat with two elders: a woman and a man. Both of the strangers wore matching traditional robes: kimono in sober colors and haori. The three were seated around the low table with Toru, who was busy welcoming the guests.

Katsuya bowed. Hideie gestured to her, "I apologize for my daughter's lateness. The market has been bustling today."

The lie easily slipped out of her mother's mouth—they always have.

The hokage seemed happy to see her, because he patted the cushion beside him. "Katsuya, hello. What have you been up to this afternoon?"

She righted herself, handing the tin of tea she bought to Hideie. Her mother then set off to the other side of the room, where the kitchen was, to boil some water. "I've been out buying things my father requested, hokage-sama."

The nine year old then went to sit beside the hokage. Their rectangular low table accommodated six people at most: two people at the longer sides, one at the smaller sides. The two elders currently sat side by side, with the hokage and Katsuya opposite them. Beside the hokage, at the head of the table, was Toru.

"You're the girl Hideie has been training?"

Katsuya glanced at the other side of the table, seeing the two elders peering at her clinically. There was no special interest in their eyes; she was probably just another girl to them and had only asked out of politeness. It was the woman who had spoken.

She inclined her head respectfully. "Yes, ma'am."

Toru looked at her meaningfully, "Katsuya, these are Mikotado Homura and Utatane Koharu. They are wise elders who serve on hokage-sama's council."

Koharu, the woman, had sagging, wrinkled skin and silver hair. She wore a stern expression that had her eyes either squinting or closed. On the other hand, Homura wore glasses with green frames and was staring at her with black eyes and a neutral expression. His hair was similarly silver but spiky.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Mikotado-sama, Utatane-sama."

Katsuya didn't know what to think of them. Their personalities seemed limited to stern and taciturn, as compared to the hokage who could be kind and yet authoritative. The contrast was jarring, considering that the hokage seemed friendly by the way he talked to her. The other two just seemed…the complete opposite of what the hokage was.

Hideie placed a plate of futomaki down, along with sets of chopsticks, shallow dishes and a bottle soy sauce. Next, she returned with the teapot and teacups. Her mother poured a bit for each of those on the table, and joined the conversation easily.

"Why is the girl here?" Koharu asked after a while as she took a sip of the tea.

Privately, Katsuya agreed. It was obvious, unlike the time when the hokage had visited, that her input in the conversation wouldn't be needed or otherwise taken into consideration—she was as useful as a rock right then.

The hokage, who had been thoughtfully munching on a piece of sushi, glanced at her briefly. "We've to discuss the Feast of Lanterns, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have. However, I do not see where this girl factors into the celebration—"

"Katsuya will be a part of the performance, will she not? We have yet to tell her that. Also, I wanted her to hear what we have planned." He picked up another roll of sushi and stared at it in slight bewilderment, "Toru, what is in this? I've never eaten anything like it. It's delicious."

Her father chuckled. "It's cucumber and avocado, hokage-sama. Would you like the recipe?"

The hokage and her father continued the conversation, skillfully steering away from the conflict that had almost arisen earlier. She mentally thanked the hokage and Toru for having such tact and giving her time to process the information.

'_Part of the performances? The Feast of Lanterns? What?' _Curiously, she gazed at Hideie for confirmation.

'_Is this true?' _

Seeing her mother's nearly imperceptible nod, she attentively tuned in to the conversation the elders and her parents were having, because Homura had managed to turn the direction back to that of the festival and also because she was genuinely interested in what part she had to play.

The Feast of Lanterns was an event that usually spent the night in honoring the day where all the spirits would leave the human world for the spirit world. The night was started by a parade that featured the different spirits—the Parade of Spirits. After, the actual Feast would start; families would spend time browsing through different stalls that had been specially erected for the festival, both dining and playing. The last event was the floating of paper lanterns down the Nakano river—the lit lanterns acted both as "guides" for the spirits to follow to the spirit world and a symbolism of their departure—it was called the Cruise of Spirits and took place at midnight.

The feast had been celebrated every year until the war started, when the village could hardly find both the time and resources to continue with the festival. Now, with the war over, the Konoha Council felt it was about time to start celebrating again.

Up until then there had been no mention of a performance other than the parade of spirits, which in itself wasn't that much of a performance. The girl doubted Hideie would've let her join something as simplistic as a parade.

"There will also be a series of performances during the time of the Feast, a suggestion I've taken from Hideie," The hokage addressed her mother, "I trust that you've already planned everything?"

'_Performances. They finally mentioned it.' _She wasn't too surprised that Hideie had been the one to suggest the performances. In fact, she should've expected it.

Katsuya, however, didn't really see the benefits her mother would reap from a performance with her in it. She'd do something in front of a lot of people. Then what…?

She felt wary with her mother's intentions with the performance she was supposed to do.

Her mother nodded readily at the hokage's question, "I've already contacted a troupe of kabuki actors I know from the Land of Iron. They will also be bringing a small band of musicians."

"Good work. I thank you for your suggestion, I'm sure the villagers will like it."

"It is no trouble, hokage-sama."

Homura glanced at her skeptically, "What performance is the girl's?"

The girl didn't really appreciate the way he spoke as if she wasn't there.

It was Hideie who answered calmly, "The last performance. A dance. The Girl and the Lantern,"

"That is a major performance, if I remember the plans you've outlined, Hideie. Are you sure your girl can handle it?" Koharu was squinting at her quizzically. Katsuya wasn't sure if the female elder was trying to figure out if she was a bird or a human by the way she regarded her.

Her mother almost seemed as if she'd expected the criticism because she merely lifted an eyebrow if in challenge. "I assure you, she _can_."

Katsuya didn't know if Hideie was complimenting her own skill as a teacher or inadvertently complimenting her dancing skills.

"We'll see." Koharu said, looking away from her.

Her performance was based on folklore, she later learned, specifically on a tale about a young girl who had been blindly wandering in the dark of the night, until she found a paper lantern. The lantern was originally unlit, until a spirit who had been watching over the girl stumbling in the darkness finally took pity on her and possessed the lantern. The candle inside the lantern suddenly flickered with a flame, and the girl was able to find the path back to her village.

But, the girl was doomed still—for that night was on the same day where the spirits returned to the spirit world. After an hour of the path being illuminated, the spirit silently apologized to her and left. The candle inside the lantern went out, and she was left alone to the darkness. She was left flailing in the dark with no hope to find the path home once again.

Apparently, her performance was the _only _performance that wasn't to be done by the kabuki actors. It was an act that not only required her to dance but to convey the feelings of the girl—the fear she felt at wandering in the dark, the short joy she had when she found the lantern, and the desperation that rushed through once the spirit made its goodbyes.

It sounded…daunting. But, Hideie evidently expected her to carry out the performance in the usual flawless way she required. Whether she felt joy or dread at receiving such an important part, her mother would still disregard her feelings and train her anyway.

It was simply the Hideie way of doing things—execute the task with perfection, regardless of emotion. And Katsuya was schooled in the way very well since she was three.

She only hoped that she could pull the dance off because even though she was accustomed to willing her feelings away for the sake of flawless execution, she wasn't quite sure she could meet up to her mother's expectations then.

Once the elders left, Hideie was quick to remind her that the festival was only a month away. It meant that they had a month to practice, and the festival would be held in the start of summer. "We'll start tomorrow," She said.

Her mother then left and went upstairs to her room.

Katsuya glanced at Toru, who was busy washing dishes. His apron was already on and he was humming another of his tunes.

"Did you know about this?" She asked him warily, gathering the plates and cups they'd used that afternoon.

"Nope," Toru chirped happily. "But that doesn't mean I'll be no less proud when you perform."

She set the dirtied dinnerware down with a shaky smile. "Honestly, dad, I feel nervous. I don't know if I'll be able to…" She _never_ bothered saying that to her mother, but she always said it to her father.

He somehow made things better with his words, no matter what the situation. While Hideie was very skilled with words, Toru was no less good either. They were a…silver tongued couple, in a way.

"I trust your mom when it comes to these things. When she says you're ready, you're _ready_, Katsu-chan."

The unexpected compliment to her mother was startling, but Katsuya silently agreed with Toru after rethinking over and over what he said.

Her mother _was_ the most skilled dancer she knew and her mother _had_ been a renowned geisha once.

She trusted her mother. Why start doubting that trust now?

.

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**A/N: **It's currently 12:39 and I am severely lacking in sleep. There's no Itachi or Shisui in this chapter, I'm sorry guys but yeah. Katsuya needed this chapter to herself.

Let's look on the brighter side of things, though. The next chapter is the _**Feast of Lanterns**_, which will be entirely written in Itachi's POV. Excited yet? Hahaha wow I'm sleep deprived.

So about the feast of lanterns: I always wanted to include a festival in my stories so I did it as best as I could. Originally, I thought I'd use the Cherry Blossom blooming thing, but decided it was already overused. So I made one up instead. Tadaaaaaaaaa. I also made up the story of the girl and the lantern.

I wanted cuisine to be part of my stories so I tried to put as much food in as I could. I don't think the effort is very valiant though. I swear I'll try harder next time.

Expect the next chapter to be a little longer than usual. We'll learn more about Hideie's geisha life later-and possibly, in a different fic. I have a small Kakashi/OC fic already, uh, conceptualized. It may or may not happen.

I thank all those who have reviewed, followed and put this story on their favorites list! Your attention to this fanfic has kept me writing. So please leave your comments and thoughts in a review! I'd deeply appreciate it.

What do you think of the _**Feast of Lanterns?**_ Too gaudy for your taste? Wouldn't be surprised if it is.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I'm only friends with the deer at the Nara clan forest.

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**chapter 5 **| the feast of lanterns

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Itachi noticed the presence of his friend before he even made himself known. He placed his kunai back in his pouch, turning to where he knew Shisui would be standing.

True to his expectation, Shisui appeared not a moment after, a thoughtful look on his normally cheerful face. It was after a while when he finally spoke, "She seemed nice."

He raised a brow. "Hm?"

"Katsuya. The girl I saw you with the day of the rain storm."

Fragments of said girl popped into his head; long, silvery white hair tied in a high ponytail, greenish gray eyes, brightly colored yukata, strawberries.

It was true that while he'd met her once and only for a few seconds, he correctly recalled who she was at the time they met at the waiting shed. It was partly due to his sharp memory—good shinobi needed them on most missions, after all—but it was largely because someone with silver hair and a wardrobe like hers left a rather…unique impression, in a way.

He'd hadn't thought of her since they met again; training was more than rigorous and it occupied his mind most of the time.

"She asked after you."

That mildly caught his interest. He didn't expect her to do so. He assumed that she didn't really think about him as he did her, "Did she?"

"Well…to be exact, she asked if you were a ninja."

"I see."

Shisui winked at him. "I said that you were a very good one."

Itachi shook his head, chuckling lightly. "I have you to thank for that."

"It was fun training you."

"Hm."

"Did you know? She's training to become a _geisha._"

He hummed noncommittally. "No, I didn't."

He had a feeling thatexplained the way she dressed. Idly, he wondered why Shisui was interested in her. "Why did you talk to her?"

His friend shrugged. "I wanted to see who your friend was."

Without a second thought, Itachi said, "We aren't friends."

The elder Uchiha looked at him strangely. "Funny, she said something like that to me."

"Good."

Shisui's look was so near to pitying it made Itachi want to cringe. "Good? Why, _good?_" He smiled sadly, "Friends are nice to have, don't you think?"

Itachi grimaced. "Shisui, I don't have time for…friends."

The two of them, of all people, knew what it was like to have the expectations of their whole clan on their shoulders. They couldn't have anything keeping them from fulfilling those expectations—both of them were talented Uchihaprodigies, after all.

The twelve year old lay a hand on his shoulder, enthusiastic grin on his face, "I know what you mean. But we're still friends, aren't we?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"Then that means you can make room for one more." Itachi glared at his questionable reason but Shisui waved his hand, as if it were no big problem. "I think Sasuke would like her, anyhow."

.

Itachi chuckled as he watched his four year old brother squirm in the yukata whose obi Mikoto was trying to tie.

"It's itchy!" He flailed his arms about, as if gesticulating wildly would convince his mother to let him wear something else. Itachi was already in his own dark blue cotton yukata with the Uchiha fan sown on the back, patiently waiting for his family to finish their preparations.

He'd been informed that day by his mother that she had specially requested from Fugaku that he spend the celebration with her and Sasuke. He was surprised when she told her he had said yes, though he wouldn't be able to join them since he had to join the police force in monitoring the security of the festival.

The ten year old didn't think his father would have approved of him going to the festival. Not with Fugaku subtly pressuring him to reach jounin and especially not with him getting remarks from the clan elders, innocuously _suggesting _that he become a jounin as well.

But he pushed his thoughts aside. Either way, he had a whole night to himself and he had already thanked Mikoto for it.

For the first time since he joined the academy, he felt like he could _breathe. _

"Sasuke, stop moving!" Mikoto admonished with her hands on her waist. The scarf-like obi she'd tried tying was clenched in one of her fists and Sasuke's yukata hang open. "We'll never get to the festival at this rate." When Sasuke merely pouted, she pointed at Itachi, who was standing by the sliding doors. "See, even your older brother is wearing it."

Sasuke turned to look at him and seeing him wear the yukata with a mirthful smile, the little boy then grudgingly nodded. "Okay." Mikoto laughed and tied the obi.

Itachi tried not to laugh at his brother's childish antics.

Once she finished, Mikoto clapped her hands excitedly. "Come on; let's go see what they've prepared. They say that they've improved the festivities since last time." Itachi slid the doors open for his mother and brother. Once they walked out to the warm summer night, he slid them closed.

The night was lit by the orange glow of the many lanterns hung around the village, in spirit of the festival. Distantly, he could hear the rhythmic sounds of beating drums, flutes and people cheering. The sounds got louder as they exited the Uchiha compound and neared the crowded streets of Konoha.

Sasuke squealed in delight as they came to stand at the side of a street, seeing the approaching procession. There were unending crowds of people lining the streets, with long lines of glowing lanterns hanging above them. The flutes and the drums got louder and louder and so did the chatter of people until finally, the spirits were there.

It was led by rows of animal-like yokai; people were dressed in fanciful costumes resembling cats, foxes, dogs, snakes and raccoons, some were going near the crowds gathered at the street and playfully scared children, others were dancing to the beat of the drums.

Sasuke screeched as a long, white snake 'slithered' in front of him and hissed. The boy clutched his brother's hand as the snake slid away, turning to scare other children.

"Scary!" He dug his little head into Itachi's side and he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked at his brother amusedly, "Don't be afraid, Sasuke, I'll protect you from the spirits."

Mikoto smiled and pried Sasuke from his legs, hefting his little brother and holding him in her arms. "That was a _hebi_, Sasuke-kun. Snake yokai." She then proceeded to point out all the yokai in the parade, telling amusing stories she used to hear as a kid herself. Itachi didn't listen, he busied himself drinking in the colorful sights of the parade in front of him.

His brother held tighter to Mikoto as even scarier spirits then made their way after the yokai. They were the more malevolent spirits in folklore—women that were abnormally long and stretched into second stories of houses, men with eyes on their hands and ox-headed children that mumbled to themselves.

"It's fine now, Sasuke." Itachi murmured as the scarier spirits passed and soon there were large floats passing by them. Sasuke peered from behind his mother's yukata and gave an awed sound.

There were seven palanquins for the seven lucky spirits and all of them were hand carried by men in white yukatas. The palanquins were decorated with lanterns and an ornately carved wood throne and a collection of things the spirits were associated with, alongside the spirits themselves. In between the seven palanquins were groups of dancers dressed as lesser spirits and musicians moving with their large drums and flutes.

He noticed that Sasuke was particularly enraptured by the palanquin of the spirit of art, beauty and music—it was covered in colorful flowers, gilded instruments and lanterns painted with the kanji for 'beauty'.

"Wow," His little brother whispered, eyes locked on the figure seated on the throne of the palanquin. Itachi followed him, finding the lucky spirit on the palanquin. She had inky black hair done in an elaborate hairstyle and six gold hair sticks stuck in the shiny black strands. She wore a deep violet kimono decorated at the hem with a scene of a pair of peacocks wandering through a field of plum blossoms. Her oval face was painted white and her lips were blood red; her black eyes were staring right at Sasuke.

The spirit winked before shifting her gaze to someone else.

The palanquin passed with Sasuke's cheeks burning a bright red. Mikoto was laughing, "Sasuke-kun, I think she likes you!"

Sasuke huffed in embarrassment and the childish reaction made Itachi laugh. The procession now passed them and the people dispersed, heading in the direction of the ninja academy, where a majority of the festival's food and game stands were.

Mikoto grasped his hand and smiled at both him and Sasuke. "Are you guys hungry? We should head for the ninja academy, that's where all the food is." His little brother nodded and Itachi found himself nodding as well.

Internally, he wondered when he would have time in between all the training to have a night like this again.

.

They feasted at the streets of Konoha, eating the various grilled foods stick after stick. Mikoto kept handing them food, pointing out the ones she especially liked.

They were in front of a brightly lit yakitori stand, eating sticks of grilled chicken bits. The street was alive with the smell of similar stands grilling different food—whether it was noodles, squid or potatoes—intermingling with the sounds of laughing villagers, enjoying themselves at the festival's game stands.

Sasuke pointed at a stand, decorated with paper koi and goldfish and had large tubs of water displayed. There was a man wearing a happi, handing out small nets to some children. "I want to try that!" He tugged at his brother's sleeve and gave him a pleading look, one that had his mouth set in a pout and his eyes shining like they were about to cry.

Itachi couldn't resist. He ruffled his brother's hair. "Alright."

"Yay!" Sasuke danced happily, waving his arms around. He proceeded to drag Itachi to the game stand.

He looked back at his mother, who was then eating a stick of grilled squid. She waved him off happily, saying in between munches, "I'll be right here!" He nodded before following Sasuke.

"Ooooh!" His little brother cooed as he looked into a tub filled with what could simply be described as _lots and lots _of glistening goldfish.

The owner of the stand looked at Itachi with a friendly smile, "Are you two going to try?"

Itachi nodded wordlessly, handing the man a few ryo and accepting two small, plastic nets he was given. Upon closer inspection, he founded that the frames of the nets was plastic, but the net itself was only made of a thin sheet of paper. He observed the tub full of goldfish again. Paper seemed like a dubious choice of material for fishing nets.

'_Are we supposed to catch as many goldfish as we can without breaking the net?' _

Sasuke looked at the man curiously, "What are we supposed to do?" The man explained the exact same thing Itachi had deduced, only adding that they were supposed to do it in three minutes.

"What's the prize?" The boy asked and the man grinned at him.

"All the fish you catch, of course."

His little brother looked thrilled. Sasuke looked at him and Itachi already knew what was coming.

"I challenge you!"

Sasuke's competitiveness was adorable, on the times that it was harmless. Itachi agreed with a smile. When was the last time he had the chance to do something with his brother?

The man handed them bowls already filled with water. "This is where all the fish you've caught goes," He explained. He looked at a child, bent over a tub and had about three fishes in his bowl, just as the watch he wore rang. "Alright kid, time's up." He produced a small bag, and placed all the fishes he'd caught in them.

When the child had left, Itachi and Sasuke bent over the tub side by side and placed their bowls in the water, letting them float as they hovered their nets over the fishes.

Itachi went through his strategy—approach the fish closest to the surface of the water with his net and slide the net under the fish before carefully lifting it. He decided on trying to make his movements in the water as conservative as possible; wet paper plus too much movement meant broken paper.

On the mark of the stand owner, they started catching the fishes.

It was on the eleventh fish when he decided to check up on how Sasuke was doing. He glanced, through the corner of his eye, at his brother's bowl first. There were one fish swimming in it, and he then shifted his gaze to Sasuke himself.

He was watching the fish before he dipped his net in the water, trapping the fish sideways with a wall of paper before bringing it to the edge of the tub and lifting the fish with his own fingers.

Itachi mentally shook his head—if he continued that, the paper on his net would break in no time. He returned to methodically collecting his own fish.

Soon enough, he heard a disgruntled mutter beside him. "My net broke." He heard his brother mumble before the owner of the stand went to bag the two fishes he managed to catch. Itachi amusedly smiled at his brother.

At the end of three minutes, his bowl was half-filled with goldfish. The owner managed to count them—"Twenty four fishes! My, that almost beat the record,"—before giving him his winnings, which was three bags of water and fish.

Sasuke crossed his arms and pouted angrily. "Whatever, I didn't want any goldfish anyway."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Then I guess I have to give this fish to someone else."

The boy's eyes widened. "You're giving them away!?"

He shrugged playfully, "Maybe. Only if you don't want them…"

"Gimme, nii-san!"

He handed him one of the bags, and he watched Sasuke hold it up to his nose and poke the fishes in it. Sasuke smiled at him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He shifted his hold on the remaining bags so that they were all cradled in his left arm. He held out his hand to Sasuke, "Come, let's go find mother."

His brother snorted. "She's probably still stuffing her face, Itachi-nii."

Itachi laughed at that.

.

Mikoto was then dragging them to the hospital.

"They're holding a play! With real kabuki actors, no less—doesn't that sound interesting?"

He let her drag him to the hospital, content to mindlessly follow wherever his mother and Sasuke went. In a way, it was therapeutic to walk through Konoha. He was able to see the happy faces of many people. Even though the streets were noisy, he found peace in seeing the village thrive.

He silently reminded himself that his work as a ninja helped in keeping the village safe and this was the fruit of the collective efforts of all the ninja in the village. It helped his mind keep from negative thoughts—thoughts such as the clan pressuring him were kept at bay.

Many people were seated on the grass in front of the hospital, and they watched several men with painted faces and elaborate costumes—one was dressed as a woman, he noticed—perform on a small, open-air stage. Beside the stage was a small platform, where a small band of musicians played traditional instruments. They were far enough from the center of festivities that he could actually hear the chanting, the flute playing and the twang of the shamisen.

His mother ushered them to sit beside her on the grass, their spot not only being a few meters away to the side of the stage but also being under the shade of a tree. He was watching the performance from a place near enough that he could hear the dialogue—but still couldn't make much sense of it; they _did _seem to arrive at the climax of the play where several men were waging a war over the hand of a woman.

Mikoto was watching the play with every fiber of her being, appearing to enjoy the acting and gaudy costumes. Sasuke was also entranced, giving off "ooooh's" and "aaaah's" every second and cheering slightly as one of the actors "speared" a man through the heart and won the hand of the woman.

Itachi didn't feel like watching. They were at a quiet enough place, with the solemn sound of a flute and drum being played in tandem. He leaned back on the tree trunk and closed his tired eyes, cradling the bags of fish in his lap. He knew that his mother wouldn't bother him to stay awake; she was painfully aware of how exhausted he was from his ninja pursuits.

He woke up to the sound of clapping, and he vaguely realized that the play was over. The actors were bowing before soon leaving the stage; another man came out, this time announcing that there were still a series of acts to be performed in honor of the festival's theme, which were the spirits.

The ten year old absent mindedly watched the acts; they were mostly performances of the arts. There were several dance troupes and koto players of some renown; he admitted that he somewhat enjoyed listening to the musicians plucking away at the koto.

The final act was the one that caught him off guard.

Because the one performing was the girl with the strawberries he'd met two years ago.

Katsuya stepped on stage with eyelids that were painted black, contrasting sharply with her sparkling silvery white hair that hung on her back like smooth curtains of silk. She wore two kimono—one hung loosely about her elbows, worn like a jacket of brocaded silk. It was jet black and had motifs of rolling waves embroidered with silver thread along the hem; she wore the other kimono, which was only blood red and tied over with a light grey obi, as one normally would.

She walked with slow, deliberate steps in nothing but socks, wearily glancing around her with cautious greenish grey eyes. It was as the music picked up with the ominous, slow beat of drums and the solemn whisper of flutes that she started to actually dance—the sudden chanting of one of the musicians sent her moving around the stage in a fearful exploration of her surroundings, her actions mimicking that of a trapped animal's. She blindly searched separate places on the stage with fear-induced fervor, only to find nothing and she physically lamented her wasted effort with sweeping motions of her arms and swishes of the skirt of her kimono.

He tried to deny that he was curious but failed.

'_What is she doing onstage?'_

She was skillful with the way she danced—graceful, even to his eyes.

He failed to notice that Sasuke was looking at him quizzically, "Nii-san?"

Embarrassed that he was caught staring at her, he looked at his brother. "Yes?"

"Do you know her?"

He remembered what he'd said to Shisui.

"_I don't have time for…friends."_

"No."

Nonplussed, his brother just looked back at the stage.

For the rest of the performance, he kept his gaze away from her.

"Well! I'm tired."

It was only fifteen minutes later when he looked up to find his mother stretching. He stood up, holding the two bags of fish in one and patting down his yukata with the other.

Unconsciously, his eyes found where Katsuya was.

She was by the stage, with her parents. He recognized the brown haired man, who had come with an umbrella the last time they met, and the woman had the same silver hair and green eyes as her. The two were hovering by her shoulders, smiles on their faces.

She had washed her makeup off and was clothed in a blue yukata with patterns of large white roses painted on. There were numerous people greeting her and her parents, likely congratulating the family on how successful her performance was.

She bowed to a man, murmuring something like a "Thank you" before turning her eyes down to the ground.

She looked…sad. Her mouth was twitching and she was blinking rapidly.

It was like she was doing her best not to cry.

Only then did he notice the hand gripping her shoulder tightly; the hand of her mother. The woman's white knuckles told him that it was probably more than painful.

Suddenly, the smiles of her parents seemed different—her mother's smile looked forced, while her father's smile looked troubled. He could easily tell which of the two felt their daughter's pain more.

Somehow, the gesture of Katsuya's mother clutching her shoulder felt familiar to him.

'_What happened?' _

At that exact moment, their eyes met.

Katsuya looked bemused to see him there.

Yet she smothered the confused look on her face and her lips twitched into a smile; her eyes closed and crinkled at the corners, giving him the impression that she looked positively _happy _to see him there.

The tear quickly making its way down her cheek marred the otherwise perfect façade.

She seemed to know she was crying because in a moment, she turned away from him. She casually lifted her sleeved arm to seemingly fix her hair, but in actuality erase all evidence of her sadness.

Itachi turned to his family, the image of Katsuya hiding her tears ingrained in his mind.

Sasuke was picking blades of grass from his yukata while Mikoto was regarding him with an interested smile.

"She smiled at you…do you know her?" His mother innocently parroted, who had apparently been watching their interaction all this time. She then looked at Katsuya's direction, her once curious face then turning sad.

He slowly met his mother's eyes.

He felt something inside of him—maybe it was because he recognized the way Katsuya's mother seemed to loom over her was like the way the clanloomed over him.

Maybe it was something else. Despite his intelligence, he didn't know.

He looked away from Mikoto's compassionate gaze. He couldn't deny that he knew her now, now that his mother knew Katsuya recognized him. "Yes."

.

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**A/N:** And there you have it. The fifth chapter.

Somebody asked if I was updating every other day...well, now you have your answer. XD I update when I can, so, um, I'm sorry if that will disappoint you.

Anyways, I hope Itachi hasn't appeared too OOC here. I realize that there's a difference between 13 year old Itachi and 11 (and younger) year old Itachi. For me, I think the time that Itachi undergoes most of the changes in his personality is when he's in ANBU, because then, he's old enough to **fully **figure out and understand the implications of what everybody wants from him, what the Hokage wants from him and what the Uchiha wants from him.

The mere fact that the Uchiha decided to attend the festival signifies a somewhat peaceful relation between the clan and the village for now. Of course, that's part of Fugaku's plan to throw off those suspicious of his clan. Make everything appear normal and willy nilly, y'know. Mercifully, Itachi doesn't really seem to sense something wrong yet because of this. [Shisui is an entirely different issue.]

The issue of the Uchiha coup isn't prevalent yet, but as you've read, Fugaku's already planning.

Also, Mikoto's going to play a relatively large part in this fanfic! I like Mikoto. Heh heh. Does anybody else get the feeling that were she and Toru to meet, they'd get along fabulously? *wink wink*

Gee, going to a summer festival in Japan sounds fun with all the stuff I've dug up from research. But enough now, this author's note has gotten quite long.

I thank all of those who've reviewed, followed and put this fic on their faves list! Thanks for reading so far.

Please leave your comments / thoughts below!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only work at the publishing house that publishes Jiraiya's perverted books.

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**chapter 6 **| liar

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Katsuya nervously shed the many layers of silk she wore that evening. The uchikake first came off, then her obi, the blood red kimono, the kosode, and then the socks, leaving her in her undies. She folded each piece carefully, wrapping the uchikake and kimono in rice paper before putting them in small boxes. She put her socks, obi and kosode in another.

Using the water she'd found in a small basin, she washed off her makeup. She donned the yukata she'd brought, a blue one decorated with large white roses and tied a narrow, yellow obi around her waist.

'_Am I ready to get out there?' _

She was well aware of what she'd unintentionally done.

She'd stumbled and fell on her face during the performance.

It was quite literally the end of the performance where she was supposed to end gracefully with a pose that had her on the floor, when she tripped and fell flat on her face with an audible _smack. _

In a way, she _did _end up on the floor—just not the way she was supposed to. She was meant to slowly crumple, limbs folding in a protective embrace in the same way one did when they were besieged with the fear of not knowing how safe one was.

It was one misstep. One graceless misstep caused by the uchikake she had wrapped around on her elbows, the same elegant piece of clothing that had a significant train. She took one step, not knowing that she had her foot firmly planted on the heavily padded silk, and tripped.

Her arms had blindly flailed the moment she knew she was sailing toward the hard wood, hoping to catch herself, but she realized that if she did so, the crowd would definitely know that she had made a blundering mistake.

So she let herself fall toward the floor with as much grace as she could muster, hoping to convince the crowd that it was all part of the dance. The girl that Katsuya was supposed to play _was _blindly stumbling in the dark because the spirit who'd possessed the lantern left, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for herself to actually trip in the darkness, now would it?

Of course, that didn't make the impact of the fall any less painful. But the crowd was convinced, no sooner had her body hit the floor, the crowd started clapping uproariously.

She had then stood up, forcing a smile on her face and ignoring the head-splitting pain, and bowed to the crowd graciously before scurrying behind the stage and into a tent/dressing room, which was where she was then.

The nine year old took one shuddery breath.

She vaguely knew what to expect from Hideie.

Anger? Disappointment?

'_Maybe it's both.' _

She messed up. She didn't mean to, but she messed up anyway.

She stepped out of the tent, making her way from the stage's shadows and into the lantern-lit night. She made soft crunches every time she took a step, and she watched the small crowd of people beside the stage, already herded around her parents.

Their yukata-clothed backs were to her and she could tell Hideie was tense, judging by the way she rigidly bowed to the people greeting her. Toru's posture was relaxed, indicating he didn't seem to be fazed by her mistake, but it didn't appease her apprehension.

Nervous. She was so nervous.

Nervous of her mother's reaction.

With a gulp, she joined her mother and father, coming to stand between them.

"Hey, look who's back." Toru grinned at her, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it. His expression of happiness seemed sincere enough, but it was the cold edge to his eyes when he regarded Hideie that put her off. "Hideie, dear, don't you think Katsu-chan performed marvelously?"

Hideie said nothing, not even turning to face the pair, not even acknowledging Toru's question.

It was like a hand held her heart, because she could practically _feel _its fingers clenching over her heart.

'_Why isn't she looking at me?' _

"I certainly do," An elderly man stood in front of the small family, "Young lady, you are a fine dancer."

Her father's lips thinned at the intrusion but he turned to the old man and smiled. "Ah, Katsuya, this is old man Watanabe."

The old man laughed. "Pleased to meet such a talented girl."

The silver haired girl barely registered the compliment, tearing her eyes away from Hideie. She faced the old man, forcing a happy tone in her voice and giving him a small bow. "I thank you for your compliment, Watanabe-san."

He waved the gesture off. "You're welcome, little girl." With a nod to her parents, the old man was gone.

Katsuya discreetly glanced at her mother after the interaction, finding her staring straight ahead.

It hurt to see Hideie ignoring her.

Her throat constricted. When her voice came out, it was strained.

"Mother?"

…

…

…

"Mother?"

Her mother's greenish gray eyes finally slid to her.

"What did you do?" Hideie asked accusatorily, voice barely above a whisper.

The nine year old tensed.

'_It was a mistake. An honest mistake.' _

She evaded both her mother's eyes and the question.

"I…did my best, mother. My best."

It wasn't a lie. It was the earnest truth. Katsuya glanced at her mother's face.

It was completely unsympathetic.

"Obviously, your best isn't good enough."

The hand around her heart clenched once again.

She let out a shuddering breath, finding it hard to breathe.

'_Why is she saying this?' _

Her voice quivered.

"I didn't mean to—the uchikake, it—"

But her mother's voice was sharp and a tinge irritated, "Then maybe you shouldn't have been so _clumsy_."

Katsuya flinched.

The girl didn't understand. Why was she being treated like this? Hideie _knew_ that she had poured her soul into training. Surely, she could understand that she never meant for this to happen.

Without anything left to say, she stuttered, "I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Hideie's eyes turned away from her like she couldn't even bear to look at her daughter.

Her chest tightened. "I'm sorry!"

…

…

…

"Sorry doesn't erase your idiotic mistake."

Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.

'_Why doesn't she…?' _

Katsuya turned her eyes to the ground, staring at her feet.

'_There was nothing I could've done. It just…just…happened…'_

"Hideie, stop."

Toru's voice was cold. His normally warm chestnut brown eyes were glaring at her mother with reproach.

Hideie turned her chin up at her husband's tone. "I will not—"

"Hideie-san, Toru-san, your daughter's performance was beautiful. You must be proud."

Both of her parents reflexively placed a hand on each of her shoulders at the intrusion.

They plastered smiles on their faces and turned to the interloper, momentarily forgetting the argument that would've taken place.

Katsuya slowly looked up from the ground.

She found a mild looking man standing before her. Like any of the other festival goers, he wore a simple gray yukata.

The man's expression was amiable, "It was perfect. I've never seen a better dancer."

Hideie's nails dug into her shoulder at what the man said. The woman said nothing but smiled.

'_She probably thinks I don't deserve those compliments.' _

Katsuya felt a jab of pain at that thought.

Toru nodded obligingly. He sent an imperceptible glance at Hideie, "We are. She did very well, don't you think, Rima-san?"

The man tipped his head before looking at her. "You must be Katsuya."

She wanted to close her eyes and not speak to this man. She wanted to be rude and let her parents do the talking, but it wouldn't do anything for her right then.

So she bore the pain and smiled.

Her voice nearly cracked when she spoke, "Yes, I am, sir."

"You're very pretty; you have your mother's looks." His expression was kind but a frown was soon forming on his mouth, "Why so sad, Katsuya?"

'_My mother hurts me and I don't understand why.' _

The nine year old mustered a shake of her head. "Nothing, sir. I apologize if I seem sad. I should be…"

She struggled with the appropriate word to say.

"…happy that I receive such compliments. Thank you."

Her mother's hand on her shoulder tightened even more. She tried not to notice.

He patted her head. "They're well deserved."

She tried not to think what he meant by that. The man then turned to speak to her parents.

Left alone to her thoughts once again, she turned her eyes back to the ground.

Why was Hideie acting like this? Why was she shutting her out? Why wasn't she giving her a chance to even explain?

She had performed all the parts of the dance easily and gracefully, why couldn't she just accept the fact that she slipped just one time?

She breathed in and out, foolishly hoping that with each breath that would leave her, so would her pain.

It didn't work.

Why was this happening to her?

Why did getting rejected by her mother hurt so much?

She had trained until her arms hurt and her legs were sore. She had trained so much that the moment she touched her bed at night, she was sent sleeping like a log.

All that effort for nothing.

She laughed bitterly.

It had always been hard to earn her mother's praise.

"_Obviously, your best isn't good enough." _

"_Then maybe you shouldn't have been so clumsy." _

"_Sorry doesn't erase your idiotic mistake." _

The overwhelming urge to cry hit her and she closed her eyes, trying to restrain her tears.

Toru was saying, "Thank you again, Rima-san."

She looked up to see the man waving goodbye. She quickly bowed.

"Thank you again...sir."

The man nodded, frown fully set on his face, and walked away.

Two more people came to take the man's place, occupying both of her parents' attention.

Her eyes stung. Maybe if she stared at something long enough, the tears would go away.

She looked at the ground again but found no peace in the green grass at her feet because her tears were still there. She had to blink the tears away.

She shifted her gaze to the crowd of people still in front of the stage and was met by a pair of intelligent black eyes.

"_Is…Itachi a ninja too?" _

"_Yes. He's a really good one too." _

He was wearing a dark blue yukata and holding something in one of his hands. His black hair was tied in a low ponytail, his expression was scrutinizing.

The sight of him made her tears come back.

Katsuya had always thought her curiosity with ninjas was harmless; while she didn't actively seek out the company of a ninja, she tried to find out as much about them as she could.

Now, she found herself in the strange position of wanting to talk to him—a boy she barely knew, and a _ninja _at that—and she wondered if Hideie would consider her curiosity with ninjas "harmless" then.

Realizing that she was still staring, she closed her eyes and stretched her mouth into a smile as wide as she could muster.

'_Is she going to cut him out of my life like she did to all the praise I'll ever receive?' _

She didn't want that.

A tear escaped her eye. She turned to her father and lifted a hand to fix a stray lock of hair, using the wide sleeve of her yukata to give her cheek a hard rub all the while.

.

Toru, when finally managing to get rid of the man that had wanted to speak to him, stared at his daughter with worried eyes. Hideie—that unreasonable woman—was still busy talking to a woman she didn't know.

He had discreetly watched her pretend to be fine for that boy. That same ninja boy, the one he had snidely said was her boyfriend. He remembered that she'd also put on a façade for Watanabe and Rima.

His chest tightened at the sight of his daughter staring at the ground, eyes glassy, but not letting anyone else to see.

'_My brave little daughter.' _

He felt guilty. How could he let this happen? To his precious daughter, of all people. He closed his eyes, cursing his wife for her callousness.

Katsuya had done nothing wrong.

He honestly hadn't expected Hideie to react the way she had—there was something else to Hideie's fury, he knew. She was hiding something again. But what it was, he didn't know.

'_I'll find out soon enough,' _He thought grimly.

The man snapped out of his thoughts.

His hurt daughter came first. He would deal with Hideie later.

With the hand that was already on her shoulder, he pulled her lightly, watching his wife's pale hand let go of his daughter's other shoulder.

He dropped down on one knee and brushed a lock of silvery white hair out of Katsuya's eyes. He tried smiling for her and didn't stop even when it didn't get a reaction from her.

She seemed too sad for a nine year old. It pained him _so_ _much_ to see her like this.

'_What kind of world makes nine year old kids so sad?' _

"Do you still want to attend the rest of the festival?"

Her voice was small but firm.

"No."

He thought so. Toru nodded wordlessly but still felt guilty for being unable to prevent her pain.

On impulse, he pulled her to his chest and hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry, Katsuya. I'm so sorry you had to experience this."

Her skinny arms wrapped around his neck. Her head burrowed further into the folds of his yukata.

"It's okay, dad."

He buried his head into her silver hair. She didn't need to lie.

She never had to if only he'd done a better job of protecting her from Hideie.

"There's no need to lie, Katsuya. I promise I'll make everything okay again. I'm here for you."

'_Hideie can carry the boxes home herself.'_

They left without a word, hand in hand.

.

When they made it home, he was the one to slide the doors open, to seat her on the elevated wooden floors and slip her sandals off for her.

When she had quietly murmured that she was tired, he took her in his arms and held her like he used to when she was smaller.

He carried her up the stairs, set her on her bed, and picked out a sleeping robe for her. He changed her, and sat her down at her dresser.

He lovingly brushed her long silver locks, making sure she felt every ounce of his love all over again.

"You were amazing today." He murmured once, squeezing her shoulders.

She had said nothing but had given him a weak smile.

.

* * *

**A/N: **My shortest chapter yet. Honestly, I teared up so many times while writing this one. Mostly during Toru's POV. Toru has got to be one of my favorite OCs [besides Katsuya]. I have another favorite, but I haven't introduced her yet.

*Uchikake, by the way, is a very formal kimono that's only worn a) by brides b) during performances. It's meant to be worn like some kind of coat, like Katsuya did during her performance. I made a correction to last chapter, where Itachi described it as being made of "lightweight silk" because it's actually supposed to be heavy. Like, brocaded silk. I don't really know what came over me when I wrote that.

*Kosode is the under robe worn under a kimono. It can also be worn by itself, but it's more of the length of a long shirt so you have to wear it with hakama. It's what we imagine as a "kimono top".

*Also note that Katsuya's dance was more of the _kabuki_ style, although geisha are trained in _noh_ theater. For my own purposes, I've bent the rules a bit and let her do kabuki-style stuff.

Thank you all for following this fic, putting it on your faves list and reviewing! I'm so happy about all of y'all's reviews u thank you guys for reading thus far. I hope to hear more from you all~

The final installation of the feast of lanterns arc (is it an arc if it only has three parts?) is in the next chapter.

I love Toru. ;-; But, his and Hideie's marriage is quite complex. They both have long backstories, yup yup.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only...I got nothing. I am brain dead. Sorry.

* * *

**chapter ****7 **| mou nakanaide

* * *

When he went to bed that night, sleep didn't come so easily. There were screams dying in the throats of those that were soon lifeless, and blood gurgling in their mouths soon after.

Itachi never told anyone about his nightmares, and he probably never would. The only one that knew was Shisui, and it was only because the 12 year old experienced the same thing on an almost nightly basis. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, already used to the strain that came with being a ninja.

He tossed the thin blanket off himself and silently but quickly slipped on a pair of black ninja shoes he kept in his closet. He tied his hair and without making a single noise, he opened the window of his dark room and left.

As he walked down the streets of the quiet Uchiha district, the ten year old noted how only a few of the houses he passed by were decorated with unlit lanterns. He, Mikoto and Sasuke had left the festival early, because after the performance at the hospital, his mother claimed tiredness and they ended up missing the Cruise of Spirits.

Which, in hindsight, Itachi didn't really mind. He knew that he had barely gotten four hours of sleep that night, the same number he usually got before he was woken up by nightmares. If they had gotten home later, he wouldn't have had the time to walk the streets in the dark like this.

His nightmares were always the same—a replay of all the things he witnessed in his missions as a shinobi. Killing…killing…and more killing. Sometimes, on nights that were particularly merciless, he'd have nightmares of the things he'd seen when the war still went on.

He ambled through a path he took on the nights he didn't feel like lying on his bed until exhaustion crept up on him and forced him to sleep for another thirty minutes or so—he walked this path only on the nights where he wanted to feel peace, if only for a few hours before the sun rose and he'd have to go back home so his father wouldn't notice him gone.

The raucous sounds of the festival were long gone; the villagers had gone home hours ago. Konoha wouldn't wake up until several more hours.

As he walked, he tried to keep his misgivings about the reason why Fugaku had come home late—again—that day. His father had muttered something about being summoned for a clan council meeting.

'_The subject of the meeting,' _He told himself, _'I can discuss with Shisui.' _Right now, he forced himself to keep his thoughts at bay by thinking of something else.

Something else being a certain silver-haired, green-eyed girl.

"Katsuya," He slowly murmured underneath his breath. He was now passing through that same park he had met her in the second time—that time, underneath the cover of a waiting shed, with the skies pouring rain above them.

Up until a few hours ago, Itachi had always thought her to be a mild-mannered girl, not prone to extreme displays of emotion.

At the time they met at the waiting shed that he now passed by, she had smiled and she had laughed in a strangely subtle way—it wasn't entirely noticeable, with the way the corners of her mouth lifted up minutely to form a small display of happiness. Her laughs were quiet, and were more like lighthearted chuckles.

She felt so…_different_, compared to other children. Other children his age, and sometimes even adults, either worshipped him or feared him; too wrapped up in the fact that yes, he had graduated the academy at the age of seven, and yes, it had only taken him one year—and yes, he knew, it had only taken three years to become a chuunin.

But Katsuya, she didn't know any of that. The only thing she probably knew was that he was a ninja and that he was a "very good one", as Shisui had told her. She was completely oblivious to the fact that he was a prodigy and treated him like anyone else _should have. _

She had smiled and talked to him without any inhibition other than politeness, and even then it was the most normal conversation he had had with a child his age. He remembered that the quarter hour he had spent with her at the waiting shed had been nice in its own simple way.

He walked in the dead of the night, with the crickets chirping in the carefully kept foliage of the trees and bushes that lined the paths of the park. The moon, along with the stars, hung high in the black sky. It was moments like these, and like the one that he had in the waiting shed with Katsuya, that he secretly enjoyed.

'_Peaceful moments like these.' _

Itachi made his way to the end of the path, where he knew it would eventually join with a pier. He was almost halfway to the end of the pier when he was near enough to discern a solitary figure from the darkness, sitting at the same spot he liked to sit in.

The little light that the moon and the stars gave shone in the sparkling, silver hair that tumbled down her back. He stopped his near silent footsteps, seeing the object of his thoughts dangling her feet in the waters of the lake.

It was like she heard him—which was near impossible, he was a _ninja_—because not a moment later, her head turned back to see him.

She looked as tired as he felt. Her face didn't seem very surprised, but he thought it was probably because she was too tired to even look the emotion. She gave him a brief tip of the head.

"Itachi…-san."

The honorific was added like an afterthought, but he didn't mind very much. He looked at her critically after returning her nod, "What are you doing here?"

She pursed her lips before quietly asking, "Do you really want to know?"

He contemplated it for a moment. Did he? Surprisingly, it was Shisui's voice in his head that answered that question.

"_Yes you do, Itachi." _

Before he even realized what he was doing, his mouth was uttering a word.

"…Yes."

She sighed and moved a little bit, so she sat to the side of the pier instead of its center. The girl gestured to the space beside her, her back still facing him, "Sit down if you'd like, Itachi-san."

He nodded again, slowly. Although the offer was still a polite one, he could tell that it would be better for him to accept it. She would feel more comfortable if he did—her reasons for being there would be personal, just like his.

So he slipped off his ninja sandals and set them on the pier before coming to sit beside her. He dipped his feet in the water, just as she had. He turned to look at her.

She was taking the time to think about something, he knew. Her face was partially obscured by a curtain of silvery hair, but it didn't stop him from noticing that her eyes were staring at the hands that she had folded in her lap.

Internally, Itachi wondered at how easily she consumed all the space in his mind by staring at her hands. At that exact moment, she had done the thing that he himself couldn't do without forcing himself—that is, keeping himself so preoccupied that he had no thoughts left to the clan, nor even to his father.

.

That night, she had woken to the sounds of Toru and Hideie arguing. She had never heard them so furious before—she could hear them yelling from down the hall, even through closed doors and her sleep.

She knew a hole had opened in her heart that night, no matter that her parents were yelling at each other.

'_Mother will never love me like the way dad does.' _

She had then stayed up, sitting on her bed, listening to the sounds of her parents undoubtedly fighting over her. She listened until her ears and her sorrowed heart begged her to make it stop.

So she left. She crept halfway down the hall, halfway close to where her parents were arguing, and in front of the wooden banister of the stairs. As silently as she could, she made it downstairs and slipped on her wooden sandals.

She went to the only place that she hoped she could keep away from the unhappiness, from the fighting inside her house. She went to the lake and she'd been there for an hour before Itachi arrived.

In that hour, she thought about her parents and their complicated marriage. She thought about geisha and their foreign world, a world that she would soon become part of. She thought about everything that she had studied—dancing, tea ceremony, manners, music, literature, conversation and even how to _dress_—and about how none of that mattered then.

She was nine and she sat alone on a pier, looking at her feet underneath the shining water. Everything she had been taught didn't matter and didn't help in the face of her twisted relationship with her mother.

Hideie was Hideie. Nothing would change that. Hideie didn't love her like most mothers; there was nothing she could do about it. No matter how well she excelled in all her lessons, or how well she treated all her kimono, or how well she pleased the hokage—nothing would ever bring Hideie to love her like Toru did.

Both anger and resentment bubbled within her when she realized.

'_I've spent practically my entire life for nothing.' _

Her geisha training had started when had been three years and three months old—the traditional age, her mother had said. Since then, the next six years had been nothing but training, training and _more _training. Which was to say, that she had spent little of her childhood as an actual child. She'd been less a child than a robot, and less a daughter than a student.

She both wanted to both cry and yell. Instead, she gave a humorless laugh. What would she do then, now that all that mattered to Hideie was that she become a geisha?

When Itachi arrived, the question still drifted in her mind, still without an answer.

She took a deep breath and faced him, knowing that he was still waiting for her answer. "My parents…they were…"

'_Screaming? Yelling? Fighting over me?' _

"…having an argument. It was too loud and I woke up. I came here to…"

He nodded, turning his head away to stare at something in the distance. His eyes were lidded and he looked like he wasn't getting enough sleep. His long black hair was mussed and hastily tied back and even his clothes—a combination of a black shirt with matching short pants—looked disheveled to her eyes.

He had probably rushed out of bed in very much like the same way she did. Something had bothered him so much that it had forced him out of his house. Momentarily, she forgot all about her troubles.

"…escape the noise."

Her response was said blandly, because she'd lost all interest in what she'd been saying. She carefully examined Itachi, noting the near melancholic air that he gave off, just staring at something. His black eyes looked dull and exhausted, and she knew that he had a night just as rough as she did.

Something about him felt old. Not in the way of graying hair or plenty of wrinkles, but in the way that his eyes seemed so tired, like he had worked all his life. She had suffered but it was obvious that he had suffered too. Maybe he even suffered more than she did, because her problems had never looked so small when she realized there were dark, purplish circles ringing his eyes.

'_I have problems. But they're not __**that **__bad.' _

A surge of shame rushed through her.

"Are you alright, Itachi-san?"

She didn't drop the honorific, knowing that while Shisui told her to, she still didn't have Itachi's own opinion.

Itachi only sighed. He stared at the stars above them, and she could tell he contemplated his response by the way it took him a while to answer, "I should be asking you that question." His eyes then glanced at her, "I saw you…"

Katsuya smiled sadly. _'So he saw,' _she said to herself.

"Cry?"

He hummed quietly in response.

She looked at the hands in her lap again, "To be honest, I think I still want to."

There was a sadness left in her that made her want to cry for all those lost years, for all those moments she could've spent eating with Toru or playing outside, instead of training extra hard to make her mother proud. Some part of her wanted to cry for her wasted effort and her crushed hopes.

"But you won't."

Itachi was looking at her questioningly, as if asking her if his statement was true. In that glance, he didn't look as tired as before.

After moments of contemplation, she knew that he was right. She found that she genuinely didn't want to. It didn't feel like earlier, where she didn't want to cry in front of all those people for the sake of not looking weak.

It felt like she didn't want to cry in front of him because she didn't _need_ to. Not anymore. When he said those words, it was like a wave of calm washed over her, and it was just her and Itachi sitting on the pier, not her and Itachi and her depression.

Again, she told herself how small problems were, compared to Itachi's.

'_If he doesn't cry then I shouldn't too.' _

Only her and Itachi. Only her and Itachi.

She smiled a true smile this time, showing her peace with the statement. "No, I won't."

He looked surprised and confused at the change of emotion, and shook his head. Katsuya laughed, knowing that he probably didn't get it. And he didn't, because he then asked, "Why are you laughing?"

She shrugged. "I'm surprised too. You somehow make me feel…less sad."

A part of her wanted to make him feel the same way, but she didn't know how to.

Itachi nodded, but to her, he still looked confused. So she laughed more for a little bit. A few moments of comfortable silence passed before she asked, completely out of the blue, "How is Shisui?"

At the question, the corners of his mouth lifted. "He's off on a mission."

She tilted her head to the side, observing his slightly amused expression, "Why do you say it like that…?"

He looked at her with a raised brow, as if asking; _do you really want to know? _ "Like what?"

Katsuya decided that she _did_ want to know, if Itachi continued acting this way. Like he was entertained by her simple minded questions. "Well…like he's doing the exact opposite of what you say."

He chuckled and she felt something warm and fuzzy explode inside of her. It filled her with inexplicable happiness to see him laugh, even if it was only a chuckle. "He usually is."

She furrowed her brows, despite the growing warmth in her chest, "Really?"

Itachi laughed. A _real _laugh, one that had Katsuya smiling widely. "Is it really so unbelievable?"

It felt unbelievable, in a way. In the times her thoughts wandered to the subject of Shisui, she always thought him to be a straight-laced ninja that went by the book and followed all the rules, especially with the way he treated her so courteously and warmly the day they'd met. The way Itachi talked about him suggested that Shisui did something suspiciously sounding like goofing off in the times he was supposed to be a ninja.

"…Sort of?"

His laughs were dying down and he looked at her with something like warmth, "I know better than to rely on first impressions."

Katsuya did too, only that she hadn't really…applied the principle to Shisui yet.

.

They stayed there for what felt like hours, exchanging light-hearted conversation. She first asked him all about the ninja world and when he'd reacted to some questions in a way she knew that he was uncomfortable with the topic, she immediately jumped to another topic. They talked about everything, because strangely, she found herself actually feeling able to talk without having to watch what she said.

It was a liberating and happy experience for her, to talk to Itachi. He was unlike any other person she knew, with the way he talked with such intelligence and knowledge of the whole world. It was even more gratifying to see this side of Itachi—the one with tiny smiles and mirthful eyes.

They eventually got to the subject of his little brother.

"_You_ have a brother?" She asked with surprise.

He was clearly amused with her response, and said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Yes, I do."

The girl looked at him testily, "What if I suddenly told you that I had a twin brother called Katsuro?"

He merely raised his brow, "Then I wouldn't be so surprised. It is, after all, perfectly reasonable for you to have a twin."

That was another thing she liked about Itachi: he was patient and logical. He answered her questions even if he thought they sounded ridiculous.

"What's his name?"

Itachi said the name with a smile and sincere happiness in his eyes, "Sasuke."

'_He must love his brother very much if all it takes for him to look happy is his name.' _

"Sasu-ke. Sasu-ke. _Sasuke._" She tried his name on her tongue, "How old is he?"

"He's five."

It was then that Itachi chose to look at the steadily brightening sky, "It's getting late."

She nodded, taking her pruney feet out of the water. "Early, you mean."

He followed suit, though he slipped his shoes on faster than she did. By the time she had finished putting on her wooden sandals, he already had a hand held out to her. "I'll walk you home."

It didn't even sound like an offer, it was simply a fact. He was going to walk her home, no doubt about it.

She smiled in response. "Thank you, Itachi-san." She took his hand and he hefted her up. She patted down her sleeping robe.

"Itachi."

She looked up, and his eyes were closed and arms were crossed. "What?"

"Itachi. It's only Itachi."

'_Oh.' _

"Thank you, Itachi."

He tipped his head, before gesturing to lead the way.

The walk home was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. They were at peace with each other, she knew, that after hours of talking, it was enough for them to be in each other's presence. She felt happy and like she weighed nothing—that the worries and sadness that had once plagued her had been chased away by being with him.

It only when they reached the front of her house that she realized that she had one small problem left: somebody, either her mother or her father, had locked the doors.

With a face that was burning with embarrassment, she smiled sheepishly at Itachi's questioning look. "I've been locked out."

The calm, aged and stoic Itachi was almost back, if it weren't for the mirth in his eyes. "I can see that."

He looked up. She followed his gaze curiously, noting that he was staring at her window. He looked at her again, "Is that the window of your room?"

She nodded.

It wasn't even a second later when he pulled her in his arms and carried her with his hands under her back and her knees. She felt more blood rush into her face when she realized that he didn't think this was a…well…improper way to hold a…girl? ? ?

'_What am I complaining about? He's…he's…holding me! That's more than I ever hoped for!' _

She didn't even get to wonder just when exactly she started hoping for something from Itachi, because she was so close to his—again, when did she notice this—handsome face, she swore he could hear her furiously beating heart.

Katsuya didn't know why she was acting this way but all she knew was that she liked it and hated it at the same time.

Another split-second later, by some kind of magic or by some kind of ninja thing he did, he was standing crouched, in the middle of her window. She was held a few feet above her bed before he set her down gently.

"W-wow…" Her mind was still reeling with amazement. "How did you…?"

He placed a finger to his lips. _Sssh. _

'_Oh. Right.' _There wasn't any yelling in the background, so her parents were already asleep. He nodded at her before disappearing in a poof of smoke. She hurriedly looked out her window, finding him where they had stood only moments before.

"Goodbye, Katsuya."

He gave her a nod then disappeared again.

It was in a few frantic moments of looking through the streets and the houses of Konoha when she finally spotted him running on _rooftops. _

"Bye…Itachi…" The nine year old murmured underneath her breath, both adrenaline and excitement unexpectedly pumping through her veins.

She fell back down on her bed with a soft _plop_, marveling at what she'd just seen.

'_Did he just…?' _

'_Yes, yes he did.' _

Exhaustion caught up to her as she rapidly wrapped herself in a cocoon of blankets, trying to calm her beating heart. That was possibly the most thrilling experience she had ever had in her entirely life.

Even as she curled up on her side, she could still hear her heart beating in her ears.

"Itachi. Itachi. Itachi. _Itachi…_"

She couldn't stop saying his name. She kept saying it until her eyelids drooped and eventually the _'Itachi' _turned into '_I…ta…chi…' _with a yawn in between the _'ta' _and the _'chi'_.

When she woke up a few hours later, the first thing she did was to look out her window. She didn't see Itachi there, but the memories of what had happened earlier kept her smiling, with her elbows propped on the window ledge and her palms supporting her cheeks.

She made a decision soon after.

Hideie could have what she wanted. She could have Katsuya's future—the nine year old would become a geisha one day and she'd still train diligently, she'd give her that.

But what she wouldn't give her was Itachi. Itachi and his secret world of cool and crafty ninjas like Shisui, Itachi and his composed way of talking, Itachi and all the warmth and giddiness he inspired in her.

And finally, she realized what she could maybe fill the newly opened hole in her heart with.

'_Maybe I can stuff the friendship of all the cool ninja friends I'll make in there.' _

.

* * *

**A/N: **The title is in Japanese, because hey, isn't that cool? It means 'don't cry anymore', which is what Itachi basically wants to say to Katsuya in this chapter. [excuse me while I go hug myself]

Isn't this kind of fluffy? I don't know. One sided fluff? I still don't really know, obviously. But, we got to see the more of the childish side to Katsuya, especially when she's near Itachi's face. Like, 'Itachi? ? Personal space? Is this improper? WHaT? ?'

The next few chapters will be Katsuya waging war against Hideie. Maybe. Things don't always go to plan, anyway. [Did Itachi seem OOC by the way?]

I'm extremely grateful for all the reviews, follows and faves! I'm heartened by your positive responses to this fic, I really am. Hee hee!

As always, leave me your thoughts and comments in a review~


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only make donuts for the Konoha police force [although the only thing Fugaku might do with them is throw them out.]

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**chapter 8 **| friends

* * *

Considering the way they'd been arguing last night, Katsuya had expected anything. Anything but _this. _

"Sit down, Katsu-chan. Breakfast will be ready in a minute." Toru said from the stove, flipping something with a spatula. The smell of frying eggs and something suspiciously like tomatoes wafted in the air, and the open windows indicated a sunny summer day outside. The atmosphere in the room, however, could be described as anything but.

In fact, the temperature inside felt sub-zero with the frigid air surrounding Hideie.

Katsuya, who had hovered uncertainly in the doorway, moved to sit as far away from her mother as possible. Hideie looked her usual regal self; she sat with her back straight and wore the peach-colored yukata like a second skin. Her beautiful face was arranged in a blank expression, and Katsuya could not detect a single miniscule twitch or movement that gave away a tension the woman might've felt.

In other words, her mother looked positively _remorseless. _

Disbelief bubbled within the girl. How could she sit there, knowing that she had hurt her own daughter—

She stopped and took a deep breath.

'_She doesn't love you, she doesn't love you,' _she silently chanted in her head.

"I made your favorite today." Her father, either oblivious to the tension (though Katsuya doubted that) or purposefully ignoring the tension, chirped from the stove. Something sizzled before she could hear the stove burner being turned off. Her father was beside her in a few seconds, setting down a plate and chopsticks.

"Omurice," Katsuya murmured quietly, gazing at the bloated omelette garnished with ketchup, sitting on her plate. She gazed at her father, who was staring at her with an apprehensive smile.

Memories of last night resurfaced in her mind and the girl remembered the way he had hugged her tight, so tight that her ears had been pressed to his chest and she had heard the beating of his heart. Immediately, she knew that he felt guilty.

"_I'm sorry, Katsuya. I'm so sorry you had to experience this." _

She glanced at the food set in front of her, knowing that an omelette stuffed with chicken fried rice cooked in tomato sauce was hardly food fit for breakfast. Last night, she had been too sad to notice any of the guilt he felt, but now, it was apparent.

Katsuya smiled for her father, trying to let him know that it was all behind them now.

"Thanks, dad."

Toru seemed confused by her reaction, but nodded anyway. He briefly left her side but returned moments after, placing a glass of orange juice before her. He gestured for her to eat, but when she raised a brow, he shook his head. "We already ate."

_We_. He had eaten with Hideie. Another thing she hadn't expected. After all, the last time she could recall her doing so was…two years ago?

She quietly ate, eating the undoubtedly delicious meal and taking gulps of—another favorite of hers, Toru knew—orange juice. Her father had whistled a jaunty tune as she did so, and her mother had remained unsurprisingly quiet. The air in the room felt heavy to her as she took each bite but she didn't remark on it. Something was going to happen and it was going to be after she ate, she somehow knew.

When she set down her chopsticks, it was Toru to speak first. "Now, Katsuya, your mother and I have talked—"

She resisted a cringe. 'Talked' wasn't a word she'd use, but then again, maybe Toru didn't know that she had heard them yelling. And screaming. And fighting.

Sadness lanced through her. She'd _never _forget the time she'd woken up to their angry voices.

"—about your future." Here, he paused to meaningfully look at her. "And we decided to ask you, is this what you want?"

Katsuya observed Hideie out of the corner of her eye. Her expression had gone unchanged, and her nonplussed, apathetic, oval face looked like it was carved of stone. "What do you mean, dad?"

She perfectly knew what they meant. But she had asked the question to see what Hideie would do. Unexpectedly, it was her mother who answered her. As if she knew Katsuya was playing dumb, the older woman turned to look at her knowingly.

Katsuya gathered the courage to meet her eyes—their eyes shared the same shade of green, one that looked like a duller, paler version of jade. The experience felt exactly like staring at a mirror.

"We're asking," Her mother's voice had an undercurrent of impatience, "If you still want to become a geisha."

…

…

…

"Yes."

Her father looked surprised. Even Hideie didn't expect it apparently, because she narrowed her eyes. Toru questioned with a look of concern, "Are you sure?"

Katsuyanodded at the same time that her mother sat back with pursed lips. Hideie scrutinized her—as if she were checking for signs that she was lying. Seemingly satisfied, the woman stood up and walked to the door in her usual dignified manner. She slid it open and made to leave, but something seemed to stop her.

She paused in the middle of the doorway and uttered slowly, calmly and most of all: emotionlessly, "Of course. What else would she be?"

The nine year old was left with Toru, who frowned at the door.

Katsuya was left confused. _'What does she mean by that?' _She looked at Toru, still frowning at the place where Hideie had stood. Another moment passed and he sighed; he shook his head before turning to her with a tired smile. She could've asked him like she wanted to, but something in his warm brown eyes made her stop.

It was the same look Itachi had; she could read the same exhaustion and the same weariness in them. She couldn't find it in her to pester him with more questions that have to do with Hideie, so she just made a gesture at her empty plate. "Breakfast was incredible, dad."

Toru yawned loudly, which made _her _want to yawn. When he was finished, he rubbed at his eyes with a crooked grin on his face. "Glad you liked it."

She was about to say something else, when he yawned. Again. And then he patted her head and looked her in the eye, though not really, because his eyelids were already drooping, "Oh, and yes, by the way: no training to—" Insert another yawn, "—day."

She furrowed her brows. "I don't understand."

He looked at her as seriously as he could, and he managed to look alert. "No training."

"Dance lessons, you mean?"

"Yes. Tomorrow as well."

Katsuya frowned. Nothing like this had ever happened before. "Why?"

"I think you should get some rest, Katsu-chan. You've been training nonstop for a month."

She nodded slowly.

"Go have some fun today."

.

With nothing left to do all day, Katsuya decided to explore the village—after all, the only places she knew for sure in the village was 1, her house, 2, the ninja academy, 3, the market, and 4, the lake. She roamed aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds, now that she was able to do so.

'_I'm walking in circles,' _She leered at a vegetable stand she _swore _she'd passed by fifteen minutes earlier, _'I've been here. That lady's got the same creepy stare.' _The lady in question, who looked like she had a bird's nest for a hairdo, waved at her. The nine year old girl returned the gesture, though not without a tight-lipped smile.

When she turned away from the lady—_'Does she know me or something?'—_she sighed and mentally threw her hands up in frustration. Obviously, she was lost. She scanned her surroundings; she was…well, somewhere. She was on a quiet street with not that many people. On one side were a series of shops, on the other, a brown picket fence. Her eye caught sight of a book shop, and she ducked inside. Maybe she could buy a map?

The shop was relatively small; it had a couple of aisles that looked like it'd squeeze your sides by the way the shelves were so closely packed together. The young woman manning the counter looked like she could use some more sleep because she was rubbing her eyes every now and then.

Katsuya stepped up to her with a polite smile, "Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering if I could buy a map of Konoha?"

The woman gave her a squinty-eyed look. "Waddaya mean, a _map_?"

She stopped herself from showing her confusion. Should she give the lexical definition of a map, assuming that the woman didn't know what it meant, or should she just admit that she's lost and she has no idea where to go?

'_But that would be…' _

A little embarrassing. Right. And telling her what a map was…? Well, the girl had the vague feeling the woman would smack her for that. She decided to shake her head. "Forget I said anything. Sorry." In any case, she could just look for the map herself, right? She made her way to one of the narrow aisles, and browsed.

The names and subjects of some of the books surprised her.

'_Advanced genjutsu techniques? Shurikenjutsu Unveiled?' _

A dusty book sat on the bottommost row of the bookshelf she stood in front of. Smoothing out her yukata with a hand, she crouched to pick the book up. It had a simple beige cover and its edges and spine were tan brown.

'_The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.' _

It was interesting. She flipped it open.

_**I formed a few hand seals and felt the chakra in my hands mold. Snake, monkey, tiger, and minutes later the ninjas who attacked that village were caught in my genjutsu. **_

_**When I released them, they looked at me with fear.**_

"_**W-who are you!?" One of them practically shrieked. **_

_**I grinned. "Don't you know? I'm Naruto." **_

"_**You mean **__**the**__** Naruto!?" **_

"Katsuya."

Startled, she looked up from the musty pages of the book. It was Shisui, wearing one of those moss-green vests that she'd seen a lot of people wear. "S-shisui!"

He looked well. His obsidian eyes were warm, "Hi."

Katsuya smiled, pleasantly surprised to see him. She snapped shut the book in her hands, turning to face him. "Hi."

"What are you reading?" He curiously eyed the book she held.

The girl shrugged. "Well…it's a book I found. The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja." _'That's a mouthful.' _

He crossed his arms and his head lolled back to look at the ceiling. "Ah…I remember that book. I didn't like it a lot."

Her eyes widened, "Really?"

Shisui looked back at her. "Really."

She inwardly deflated. If Shisui didn't like it, it could mean that it wasn't very good.

"I can tell that you like it, though."

Katsuya gave a small laugh. The book _did _seem interesting, despite what he said. "Is it that obvious?"

He waved a hand, "Hm. If you like it, buy it."

"But you don't like it."

"So?"

"It must not have a nice story."

"So? You like it, don't you?"

"…Yes?"

"So buy it."

Hesitantly, she nodded. "Alright, then." They filed out of the aisle, and she stepped up once again to the squinty-eyed woman with the book. She took out a small purse; Toru had given it to her before she'd left the house that day.

The woman regarded her with suspicion, but she surprisingly smiled at Shisui, who stood next to her. "Not busy today, Shisui-kun?" The twelve year old next to her shook his head.

Once they were out of the bookstore, Katsuya looked at him inquisitively. "Are you a regular at that bookshop?"

It was his turn to shrug his shoulders. "Something like that."

"Is that your favorite line?" She mimicked his boyish voice as good as she could, "_Something like that?" _

He laughed. "You make a very good impression of me."

Katsuya playfully smiled at him. "If you say so…"

They walked for a few more minutes.

"Say, Shisui?"

"Yes?"

"Why…are you here? And why are you following me?"

He stopped in his tracks and gave her a confused look. "We're friends, aren't we?" Something in her face must've been wrong, because he questioned again, "Aren't we?"

'_Friends.' _

The word echoed in her head. Somehow, Shisui telling her that they were friends made her heart flutter.

"Yes. Yes we are."

He looked at her as if he was doubting her mental capacity, "For a second there, I thought you'd bolt like the last time I talked to you."

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She unconsciously looked away from his friendly face. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright."

.

"Shisui."

"Yeah?"

"I'm lost."

"I know."

"So where are we?"

He paused.

"We're near one of my favorite places in the entire village."

Before she could say a word, she was being carried in yet another ninja's arms. He held her the same way Itachi did…and _that _had only occurred several hours, if not half a day, ago.

Shisui did this strange thing that felt like they were travelling in a series of blurs. He would take a step and then the world would blur. When it was over, they were already far away from the place he'd taken a step at.

It was nauseating. She did her best to hold down the vomit coming up her throat and she closed her eyes fiercely.

She opened them again when she felt Shisui stop. Katsuya looked up, and Shisui was staring back at her half apologetically, half like he wanted to laugh.

"Sorry." At least his voice sounded sincere enough.

He set her down, and her legs felt like jelly when she tried taking a few wobbly steps. The world was spinning uncontrollably.

Ninjas apparently didn't have any sense of personal space and any _courtesy _to ask if she was alright with them using their weird ninja moves on her.

When she finally managed to steady herself on a tree trunk—wait no, that was Shisui. When she finally managed to steady herself by placing a hand on _Shisui's_ shoulder to help her stand still, she shook her head. "What was _that_?"

She looked at him through half-lidded eyes and the world still kept spinning, but he still managed to look like he wanted so badly to laugh. "Body flicker jutsu. I'm sorry."

Katsuya took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut. "_Jutsu?" _

He blinked, and this time he looked remorseful. "Right. You aren't a ninja. Sorry."

She shakily growled out, "It's fine," The world finally stopped it rotation. She opened one eye first, and the other reluctantly followed. She tried looking…not queasy. "Besides. You can tell me all about it." She looked at her surroundings, finding that they were on a cliff somewhere, "Where are we?"

"We're on top of hokage mountain, Katsuya."

.

Shisui observed her reaction. Her eyebrows shot up, "Hokage mountain?"

He smiled. "Yep."

"Is this…legal?"

Katsuya and her questions. He wanted to laugh, but he somehow knew she wouldn't take it very well.

"Yes, it is. As long as you know how to get here, you cando it."

She looked…awed. He sat down on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the village. He and Itachi always divided their time off in either spending it here, at the Naka river, or training. But Itachi was on a mission, and sitting on top of the hokage mountain alone wasn't something he relished. Luckily, he had run into Katsuya at the bookstore, reading the old book one of the sannin wrote. It didn't take long until he decided to bring her with him to the hokage mountain.

He watched her hesitate, glancing at the dirty ground and her fancy yukata.

'_Is she…?'_

Yes, she did. She sat down beside him, careful to sit on a patch of grass rather than the ground itself. _'Better grass stains than dirt stains,' _he mused.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Her voice was tinged with confusion. He decided to remedy that, "I always go here, but it's kinda lonely if I go alone. I thought I'd tag you along."

He didn't really know much about her, but he appreciated the way she treated him. He was sure Itachi felt the same way, because it felt awesomely nice to be treated with a smile that literally just read: _it's nice to see you again, Shisui. _

She looked away, but he could see her roll her eyes. "You just assumed that, didn't you?"

He liked her bite as well, "Kinda."

A minute passed.

"Well?"

He looked at her. "Well, what?"

She made a vague gesture. Her voice was full of curiosity, but it was obvious she tried to keep her voice only politely curious, "Aren't you going to tell me about this…_jutsu _of yours?"

"You don't know anything about being a ninja, do you?"

Her tone was deadpan, "I've been training to become a geisha, Shisui. Of course I don't."

So he told her all about being a ninja. He told her about how there was chakra in the body, and how ninjas manipulated it for their own uses. He told her about ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu—and then he even told her about chakra nature types.

"That sounds amazing," She murmured with fascination. There was a slight breeze going on, and it lightly tussled her strange whitish-silver hair. In the sunlight, he could make out little flecks of emerald in her greenish gray eyes.

'_Honestly, what clan is she from?' _

"Hey Katsuya, what do geisha do?"

He didn't know much about her—maybe this was the time to find out more. She stared at him with a raised brow, "Why do you want to know?"

He mirrored her expression. "We're friends. We should know each other."

She took his answer in as she gazed at the sight before them: the thriving village of Konoha, with all its green leafy trees that were soon losing its vibrant color to the heat of the sun. "Hm. They do…a lot of things, I guess."

.

Katsuya watched surprise take hold of his face.

"They pour _tea?" _

"Not only tea. Sake. Or beer. It depends on what the client is drinking…that's what my mother says."

She hadn't really told him much and she knew he knew. To be honest, she didn't know much either. All she knew was that geisha were entertainers—they catered to the needs of their client by using the various the various geisha arts; dancing, playing an instrument, talking, and only occasionally, singing. The clients, of course, ranged from powerful daimyo to minor lords, to successful merchants and to common, everyday men. It depended on how popular the geisha was.

Shisui looked bewildered. "Is that all you do?"

Katsuya used to feel the same. But Hideie had told her something, "I don't know much else about it. My mother says the training gets more rigorous when I'm older—also that that's all I need to know at my age."

Hideie.

The nine year old had tried to keep thoughts of her mother away from the very onset of the conversation. Blessedly, Shisui was doing a good job of distracting her, "It sounds hard being—or I mean training to become a geisha."

'_Sometimes, I think the same thing.' _Her hand absently pulled out a few blades of grass, and she tossed it in the air,_ 'But everything got easier ever since we moved here.' _

She watched narrow, green slivers slowly fall in the air. Ever since they'd moved to Konoha, life had been somewhat…peaceful. The mornings and the afternoons were spent practicing, but on the off chance that Toru wanted an errand done, she got to out and see the village. She got to talk to other people, though they were mostly shopkeepers, and she got to meet new _friends. _

_Friends. _

She stared at Shisui and gave him a shrug. "Not really."

It wouldn't really be hard if more of her days were like this.

.

After an hour of talking, Shisui decided to _body flicker _her back to the village. He had said that he would bring her home, but she pleaded—almost _begged _to let them walk back. So they did, though not without some light teasing.

"People usually get rid of the dizziness on the second time, y'know."

She wanted to shush him with a finger but was busy trying not to puke her guts out. "Okay, Shisui. I get it."

He laughed at her green face.

.

"You live here?"

She tilted her head quizzically at Shisui's surprised look.

"Were you expecting something else?"

"No, no. It's just that…" .

The nine year old stared at her house—it was a traditionally styled, two story townhouse made of dark cherry wood. It had a gabled roof with black shingles, and Katsuya didn't really see the problem with it. The house was elegant and she liked it, but there was nothing wrong with a nice house. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "I…live over there, actually." He pointed at the other side of the street, which was lined with tall walls and a white and red fan of some sort was painted on it.

So that was why he was acting strangely. "Oh."

He suddenly beamed, "See you tomorrow!"

'_Tomorrow?'_

The prospect of seeing Shisui again the next day was nice. She liked his company and he made a really great conversational partner; he could talk all about ninja and he would ask her questions all about geisha. Whatever she said seemed to either interest him, amuse him or confuse him. He was lively and cheerful in his own way—she found herself smiling a lot more when he was around.

Still, something inside of her treacherously wondered, _Whare's Itachi? _

'_Itachi.' _

Her mind was flooded with images of the boy with world-weary eyes. She suppressed them long enough to give Shisui a coherent answer that didn't have Itachi's name mixed in.

"Yes…sure. Tomorrow. Right!"

"Bye!"

"Bye."

The twelve year old ninja flickered out of her sight.

'_Rub it in that I'm not a ninja, will you?' _

She looked back at her house. She looked at the copy of _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi _in her hand.

She was going to do some serious reading tonight, she could tell.

.

* * *

**A/N: **So that festival biz is finally over. Well. No. Actually, I guess, not really. Also, there's no Itachi in this chapter. I'm sorry...?

Is it kinda apparent Katsuya has no real social life? We get more of her story, pre-moving-to-Konoha, in the next chapters. A bit of trivia that's to come: Katsuya's from a place called _**Shutsuen,** _which is taken out of _shutsuensha, _which is either actor or performer in Japanese. It's in the Land of Artists (I hope you guys don't find this name strange, but there _have _been stranger country names.) and is its capital city. The country itself is on the border of the Land of Lightning.

Again, we don't get a lot of information on the inner workings of the geisha world. Which is understandable, I guess, most of the stuff's been withheld from Katsuya, who's still a naive-in-her-own-way nine year old. She's been spared the horrific details. I plan to introduce to you guys the world of the geisha through another OC, and when Katsuya's a bit older. Like, maybe when she's 11 or 12.

So I guess, right now, Katsuya's walking on sunshine. Of course, that's what _she _believes. *Nyahahahahaha*

*The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi is Jiraiya's first book. It chronicles the adventures of a protagonist called book's the reason why Minato decided to name Naruto...well, Naruto.

Thanks to all those that have favorite-d, followed and reviewed this fic. Special shout out to _**Juliedoo,**_who I've noticed, manages to review in record time. That's so cool and creepy (I'm kidding, hahahaha sorry) at the same time.

Thanks for reading so far! Please leave your thoughts and comments in a review, as always~


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I only sort the paperwork for the hokage.

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**chapter 9 **| misfits

* * *

When she rose from bed with the sun already hanging high in the sky, the first thing she did, like the day before was peek out her window. Some small part of her hoped to find the sight of Itachi—magically standing below, on the street, with a characteristic ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

She didn't hope to see him everyday…no, she didn't hope _too much._

But only a tiny fraction of her being was disappointed when she didn't see him. The street had already been long awake by the time she woke up for more people than usual—usual being the few people she would see when she normally woke up relatively early for her dance lessons—bustled in and out of it.

The heat of summer was slowly making its debut; the day was way too bright for it to be 7 or maybe 8 AM. Seeing that the sun was perched high in the sky, Katsuya glanced at the small clock on her bedside table, shocked to see that it was noon.

She had slept in.

She had _actually_ slept in.

The thought brought a smile to her lips. The last time she had done so…Hideie had woken her up from bed and said that she had 15 minutes to eat breakfast before they'd start with dance lessons.

'_But mother isn't here, is she?' _

That's right. And that was because she had the day off today. The girl felt well rested and so full of energy that she actually jumped off her bed and dashed to her closet, eager to settle on what she'd wear that day.

She had practically spent the entire night last night reading the book she'd bought yesterday. By the time she'd decided to go to sleep, she'd already finished half of the book with her eyelids drooping.

The girl enjoyed the book more than she probably should've. It was full of heroic encounters of saving people and showy but utterly _gutsy _one-liners that she adored. The fight scenes were a thrill to read as well, what with the words _shuriken _or _katon _or _kenjutsu _being thrown around all the time and humanely impossible moves being executed.

Even the protagonist of the book made her happy. Naruto, the all-powerful shinobi who could vanquish evil with a few _hand seals. _He was so…cool.

'_I'll read more tonight.' _

Because she couldn't possibly spend more time reading, not when she could do that every night without a hitch, and especially not when she could use the time to do everything else she wanted to do as well.

She mentally went through a list of what she could do in a span of 12 hours. Explore Konoha, maybe? Visit the park, check the bookshop, eat out…

The tender smile on her face broadened with every little task she could squeeze into the day. She rummaged through her clothes before finally selecting a bright purple yukata with hand painted maple leaves. She briefly remembered how she had acquired such a pretty (well, Katsuya thought it was pretty) thing.

Her father had made it for her on her 8th birthday a year ago.

The girl hummed a cheerful tune, another thing that she had taken from her father. She shed the sleeping robe and donned the yukata, tying a thin, scarlet obi which she had taken from the chest at the foot of her bed soon after.

Katsuya continued humming as she opened the window in between her dresser and desk. She sat down in front of the former, carefully brushing her silver hair. With the sun shining bright, her pale hair sparkled every time she ran her hairbrush through it.

The nine year old, in all honesty, thought her hair wasn't strange at all. If anything, she thought it was perfectly fine for a hair color—her father and mother never made a fuss of it, so why should she? Besides, she had seen hair that looked better.

Itachi's silky black hair made a decent example of this.

'_He has these bangs that frame the sides of his face…he looks so good with them.' _

She caught her eye in the mirror, and she examined the smiling face on the other side. However, she noticed that blood rushed to her face as she continued her line of thought.

'_In fact, Itachi's whole face is very…striking.' _

Katsuya wanted to hide her face in her hands as she thought about how…aesthetically pleasing the boy was. But the body parts in question were busy brushing out the tangles in her hair, so she bore with the burning sensation in her cheeks with a sheepish smile. She tied her metallic locks with a red ribbon not dissimilar to her obi before making her way downstairs.

She was met by the sight of Toru at the dining room/kitchen. Lunch had already been laid out on one side of the table: cold soba noodles. She sat down wordlessly, curiously noting that there was only _one_ plate of the gray noodles, _one _set of lacquered chopsticks, _one _bowl of dipping sauce. The other side of the table was littered with small squares of vibrantly fabrics, the colors ranging from yellow to orange.

Toru was currently going through swatches of orange fabrics in his hands. High quality silk, she gathered, by the way it effortlessly molded with his long, elegant fingers and the way it quietly swished with the movement.

The small _thud _she caused when she sat down startled him. For the first time since she'd entered he glanced up at her, evidently surprised. "K-katsuya!"

His face didn't show any outward signs of exhaustion. Compared to his tired appearance yesterday, the Toru today was utterly fine. Did he really not hear her coming in? Either way, the girl greeted him with a smile that had never left her face since she'd woken up, "Dad."

He whistled, getting over his surprise. A curious, chocolate brown brow shot up, "Ah, somebody seems to be in a good mood today…" He waved at the food on the table then, "Help yourself. Did you have a nice sleep?"

Nodding, Katsuya started eating the food he'd prepared for her. She dipped the ice-cold noodles in the dipping sauce before dropping them in her mouth, savoring the taste of soy sauce, bonito flakes and something sweet she couldn't place.

As always, it tasted good. "This is great, dad. And thank you for asking; I _did_ sleep nicely."

Her father returned her expression with an affectionate smile. He turned his attention back to the fabrics he had in hand. "That's nice to hear. I'm making a kimono for a client back in the lightning country. She wants it done in a month…"

It explained the colors; yellow and orange were the traditional colors that were worn during autumn. She knew because it had been something drilled into her since she could remember.

The girl nodded interestedly. Toru went on, "I've been told she wants nothing extravagant, but—I'm not sure where to draw the line between simple and extravagant for a design."

Katsuya furrowed her brows. Her father made kimono for those that could afford it and more often than not, his clientele consisted of wealthy merchants or noblemen. It was rare for her to actually meet them but in any case, she could imagine what her father was talking about.

Simple and elegant. Its sophistication would lie in the masterful dying of the fabric, maybe. The common idea of flowers and butterflies were out of the question, because the designs were primarily worn in the spring and by children.

An idea sprung in her mind—one that was based on a poem she'd once read. The poem narrated a scene: autumnal grasses in the light of the sun, a stag, geese and a few insects wandering close by. Trees with orange leaves lined with gold were another suggestion she voiced. The designs, she told him, could be simple if they kept them trailing along the hem.

Toru grinned. "Brilliant."

He said he'd take it into consideration. Their conversation continued.

"Are you meeting anybody today?"

The question shocked her but reminded her of something.

Or, more exactly, _someone. _

"_See you tomorrow!" _

Shisui.

Katsuya glanced at her father through the corner of her eye. The question was spoken innocently enough, but she knew that sometimes her father had the ability to only _seem _so. Right now, Toru was being really, really innocuous with his query.

'_Does he know…?' _

She settled for a vague answer.

"It depends."

Which in fact was true, to some extent. She didn't really know if she _would _see Shisui that day, because he hadn't specifically said anything. For all she knew, all he'd meant was a simple _let's see each other again but I don't really mean tomorrow, okay? _

Another thing was that Katsuya wasn't sure of her father's attitude toward ninja were. All she knew was that he was _maybe _neutral about them, considering the fact that he had been the one to tell them of their existence but not the one to warn her away from them.

Maybe he was still indifferent. However, the likelihood of his opinion differing with what Hideie had said about her not associating with ninja could've changed that. But even then the idea seemed improbable to her because after years of living with the two, and that one night when she had heard them screaming at each other, she _knew _that Toru and Hideie didn't exactly see eye to eye on some issues.

Still. Even though the chances were small, she could never be too sure. Toru could easily tell Hideie about her associations with the two ninja she knew—Shisui and Itachi—and treasured. And then she'd be dead.

Because she was blatantly disobeying Hideie's express orders.

Even then, it only made her want to hide that aspect of her life more.

The friendship with Shisui, no matter how young it was…the closeness she shared with Itachi…she didn't want any of those things endangered any further.

She'd have to hide the existence of her friendship with Shisui from him.

And that concept, that thought that she was doing something _she _wanted and not what _Hideie_ wanted, absolutely thrilled her.

Even if it meant not trusting her father, despite knowing that he would never deny her anything.

.

They'd finished washing the dishes and organizing the fabric swatches before Toru retreated downstairs, to the attic. Or boiler room, she recalled, because her father also kept small containers that boiled dye. Or workshop, because her father also worked there.

In any case, she was left alone in the kitchen/dining room, wondering what she should do first for the day. Again, an image of Shisui popped in her mind.

A small smile graced her face. What should she do if they were to meet again?

If they were to meet again…as friends?

There was some unstoppable force in her chest that made her heart flutter with the thought.

'_Friends.'_

Gratefulness and excitement welled within her. Now that they were friends…they would get to do friend stuff! Stuff like…well…stuff. She didn't know what she meant by stuff, though she was sure that it denoted some kind of fun. Some kind of happiness.

If friendship was anything like the day he'd spent with her yesterday, then she was thrilledfor the next days to come.

'_Maybe I should make him something…'_

To show her gratitude, of course.

It was a thing done in polite society, Hideie had once told her, that when one made a new friend, one should present them with a small gift upon visiting their home for the first time.

It wasn't like she was expecting to get invited to Shisui's house already, just that…she was really thankful that he had chosen to become friends with her.

He had such a friendly way of making her feel as if he was genuinely _okay _with having her around. He had taken her to his favorite place in Konoha while carrying her in his arms along the way. He had answered her questions patiently—like Itachi had once did—but happily, and he had been curious about her.

It was like he actually _wanted _to get to know her and she was making the biggest deal out of it as she could.

Quickly, she gathered the ingredients for strawberry daifuku: a simple treat that she and her father would make sometimes.

As she quietly worked in the kitchen, dusting potato starch all over the counter as she molded the mochi in one hand, she wondered if Shisui even liked strawberries.

'_Itachi does.'_

'_I think.'_

She should maybe ask him next time they met. Which, she hoped, was soon.

.

Shisui found himself in a place he'd never thought he'd be in before. As he stared at the box that she presented with a bow of her pretty little head, he felt amazed, embarrassed and touched all at the same time.

"Please take it," She was murmuring. Her voice, he noted, was a little sheepish as well.

They'd run into each other at the bookshop again. She'd been browsing the _ninjutsu _section, holding the little box in one hand, an advanced _katon _techniques book in the other. The moment he saw her, he immediately rushed to her with a greeting.

Of course, she had greeted back with that strange way of hers—unerringly polite but warm, indicating that she was just as glad to see him—but then she had shelved the book she'd previously been reading and stretched her arms to present the box she held with both hands.

"_T-this is for you, Shisui…"_

For a moment there, he had definitely caught her blushing.

'_Which was actually quite cute…' _

But she had bowed. And then they were stuck in this semi-awkward situation.

The box was a little small, and colored gray. It was loosely wrapped in rice paper. Tied to hold the wrapping together was a string of red twine done in a neat little bow. It looked like an awfully nice thing to accept, in all honesty…

"K-katsuya."

She glanced up, surprise painted all over her features. Her squinty green eyes stared at him questioningly.

He gulped. She was really making things so…difficult…

"You don't have to bring me gifts."

Blood rushed to her cheeks and Shisui had to look away, not liking staring at a girl so long. She sounded determined, however, "But I _want_ to."

He sighed. He scratched the back of his head, "You aren't doing this out of some kind obligation, are you?"

Maybe she had the deluded idea that now that they were friends, she would have to fill some kind of expectation. _Ugh, _that was the complete opposite of what he had had in mind when he decided to be friends with her.

Because he decided that he wanted no strings attached when it came to being friends. No expectations, no pressure...

A civilian like Katsuya would surely be able to provide just that. She was so oblivious to _Shisui of the body flicker, _and rather knew just _Shisui. _

However if she had thought that he had expectations for her then she would surely have expectation for him as well.

As if catching him in his thoughts, her piercing pale green eyes somehow found his obsidian ones. With the most sincerity he had ever heard, she said, "But I _want _to bring you gifts..."

"Excuse me for this…"

She reached for his hand, which had previously lain limp against his side. She smoothed his closed fist open, exposing his rough palm. She gently laid the box on it.

"…but please accept my gift."

Her voice was quiet but firm.

Her hand dropped back to her side. Stunned, he looked at the box that was now in his hand. She seemed so incredibly honest all the time. Was she even aware of how awkward this was?

No, she probably didn't. If anything, she was only fixated on giving him the box he now had in hand.

People _probably _thought they were…were…

Shisui quickly threw a glance over his shoulder, to where Mari—the one who he was familiar with and manned the cash register in the bookshop—was giving him the cheesiest grin ever.

Yep, yep…they most definitely did think they were…

'…_girlfriend and boyfriend.'_

Blood rushed to his cheeks. He could handle facing A-rank ninja, getting pummeled within an inch of his life, badly depleting his chakra, but he could not handle the earnest gestures of a kid Itachi's age.

'_When did life become so complicated?'_

She probably didn't mean to come off like the way she did, because he couldn't detect any ulterior motive behind giving him the box. With a bit of red staining his cheeks, he tried to diffuse the tension he may or may not have imagined.

"T-thanks."

The smile she gave him was _way _too bright. He had never expected her to be…so…

Happy? Cheery?

Puppy-ish?

Puppy-ish was taking it too far because she seemed too dignified for that. But she really looked so…happy…

She looked so genuinely overjoyed that he could feelthe happiness rolling off of her. The first time they'd met, she was anything but. She was mannered, and somewhat had the same calm Itachi exuded, unfailingly polite.

Right then, she kept the politeness intact. Yet there was something distinctly _warmer_ about her, compared to when they'd first met.

He shook his head before sighing. He tucked the box underneath his arm, turning on his heel.

He strode away.

When he didn't hear her steps following him, he stopped just before the doorway. He turned partially, seeing her still in between the narrow aisles of the bookshop with a lost expression.

It didn't fit her.

'_Lost puppy…lost puppy…lost puppy…'_

She was still too dignified to be a puppy, really.

"Don't you want to do something fun? Come with me, Katsuya."

.

He ended up treating her to some dango, at a place he and Itachi would sometimes go to. Katsuya was staring at the skewer weirdly.

"Don't like it?"

He was happily eating his food. She had only eaten one of the three skewers he'd gotten her before she was examining the thing like it was a dead raccoon.

She shook her head. "I think I should try making this at home, it's delicious…" The silver-haired girl turned to look at him, head tilted curiously, "…you haven't opened the box yet, by the way."

Oh.

Right.

The box was sitting on the table, unopened, like she'd noticed. He nodded, reaching for it and pulling the end of the little twine bow she made. It fell apart, and the he pulled the rice paper and lid off the box.

Inside were two columns and two rows—four all in all—of neatly arranged…balls of…something. They were dusted white with something, and looked like they were made of the same glutinous rice dango was made from.

She probably saw his confused expression because she then explained, "It's daifuku, Shisui. Strawberry daifuku." She looked away for a moment, taking on a contemplative tone, "Or maybe you don't like strawberry?"

He shook his head. "No, it's because that I've never eaten something like this before."

A silvery brow shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah." He gingerly lifted one from the box, carefully squeezing it between his thumb and index finger. Without hesitation, he took a bite.

He moaned.

Shisui, a prodigy of the powerful Uchiha clan, actually _moaned. _

"This…is amazing."

'_Is this what they call harmony of flavors?'_

Katsuya laughed that airy laugh of hers, briefly reminding her of Itachi. "Should I say thank you?"

He nodded eagerly, "Yes…yes you should!" He finished the first of the daifuku, savoring the sweetness of the anko, the slight sourness of the strawberry and the chewiness of the mochi.

She smiled that happy smile of hers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," He quipped, pushing the box to her, "You should eat too."

She shook her head. "It's alright, I can just make more at home."

'_More…for me…'_

The thought was a little bit uncharitable, but he had no qualms because it tasted that goooood.

"How did you learn to make this?"

She shrugged, returning to her dango. He watched her daintily bite one off the skewer before chewing and swallowing, "My father teaches me sometimes, when he isn't busy."

He smiled as he finished another of the daifuku, wiping his mouth and ridding it of the powdery residue from the treat. "Your father must be a great cook."

She mirrored his expression. "He is."

Silently, he wished his father would be the same thing as well. To be frank, he had to eat almost _all _of his meals outside because neither Shisui nor his father could cook to save somebody's life…

"You should teach me sometime."

The girl blinked, setting down her skewer. "Are you sure?"

He furrowed his brows. Why did she seem hesitant all of a sudden? "Yes, I'm sure. Is something wrong?"

She looked away, settling her gaze on something outside the dango shop. Her voice was so soft as she said, "Maybe I will."

There was a melancholic note to it.

Huh.

'_Why does she sound sad?'_

"Katsuya—"

"Itachi?"

Itachi? His name wasn't Itachi, geez—

But the tone she used…it was surprised. And she was looking outside, so it could only mean one thing.

He turned his head.

There, standing in all the glory of the afternoon sun, was Uchiha Itachi. He wore the 'typical Uchiha outfit'—or so his squad mates called it—a high collared black shirt with the Uchiha fan sown on the back and tan colored pants. Which, all in all, wasn't very dissimilar to what he wore right then.

Unconsciously, a grin split his face.

"Hey, Itachi."

The ten year old seemed visibly surprised to find him and Katsuya sitting where they would sit.

'_Tough luck, Katsuya's our friend now.' _

But, Shisui said nothing. Itachi looked the same as always. He had the same emotionless look in his eyes and his long black hair was tied back.

"Come sit with us."

He gestured across the table, where Katsuya sat with her back ramrod straight. Her posture had always been impeccable, now that he noticed.

Itachi sat down beside her wordlessly. Katsuya's friendly expression remained unchanged, but he could hear her murmur a greeting.

"Good afternoon, Itachi."

His friend tipped his head, "Good afternoon…Katsuya."

The smile she gave the ten year old seemed too bright…again.

Shisui gazed at the two.

'_Is there something going on here?' _

Because as everyone knew, the day that _the _Uchiha Itachi would ever acknowledge a girl beyond a simple nod was maybe the start of the end of the world.

.

* * *

**A/N: **Another Shisui POV because I love Shisui. Watch me as I try to portray a growing friendship and the naivety of youth *cough* Katsuya *cough*. Ehe...ehe...

Two chapters straight with Itachi only getting mentions. Sorry but Shisui's a pretty important character in this fic. XD Which reminds me, I should add him to the characters in that character thing for the summary of this story. I want to make the shared friendship of the three...a very important point in this story.

School's starting in a bit and guess what? I'm going to college next year. So I have to study for all those entrance exams and stuff... T_T I'm starting to feel the pressure of growing up. Oh no. Oh no. [BTW, please expect updates to take longer.]

I'm also sorry for the late update? I got sucked into this thing called...kuroko...no...basuke...

If you watch / read the series too, please tell me who's your favorite character. Just for fun, y'know? My favorite so far's Aomine. Or Akashi. Or Kuroko. Or Teppei, because of this one fic I read. Haha.

Thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews. Although it's slightly worrying that I don't get any more...uh...feedback? I don't know how well or how bad I'm doing so...yeah.

Please tell me your thoughts anyway. It's nice hearing from you guys, to be honest. And it's also very fun. XD Haha.


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